This is work originally published in 1798, reprinted as part of the Americanist Classics series.

The author believed in a class society with a monarch at the head and that the development of leaders in a society was natural. He believed that, while anyone can serve their nation in government, it should be difficult to achieve and only the landed gentry were the best qualified. He was convinced that universal suffrage would lead to corruption and thus was opposed to the idea.

In the publishers' introduction some background is given. Robison was a Professor of Natural Philosophy at Edinburgh University and Adam Weishaupt, a Professor of Canon law at Ingolstadt University in Germany in the 1760s. The publishers maintain that Weishaupt's views could have influenced the development of Communism. I consider this position unprovable without a study of Marx's or Engels' lives. They also suggest that many American presidents were influenced by university professors who advocated or were interested in establishing a world government. Both of these ideas could reflect a possible right-wing bias by the publishers.

World government was an idea advocated by Weishaupt under the secret direction of the Illuminati, which was his group within the Masonic Order. To achieve this, he believed it was necessary to abolish all civil government as well as religion as practiced. The latter would be eventually replaced by atheism. Along the path toward non-belief, Weishaupt desired his followers to hold to a particular version of Christianity which is outlined in several letters to his followers on which Robison comments.

Central to Weishaupt's beliefs was that of Reason over superstition. He believed that one of Christ's primary goals was to teach men to be self-governing, thus rendering rulers of any sort unnecessary. He considered Christ to he the Grand Master of his Order. Liberty and Equality were also taught by Christ and were considered by Weishaupt the "State of Pure Nature". Some of his ideas follow. Man is in subordination and civil bondage arising from vice. This was considered both the Fall and Original Sin. Redemption and the New Birth could be achieved through Reason and a just morality. Living under government v. as considered the fallen state and only by controlling passions through Morality could one recover one's worth. He also considered Christ the enemy of superstition. (on another theological matter. Weishaupt considered God and the world as one. Even though Christ is seen positively, it seems illogical that a group with the goal of abolishing religion would substitute another in its place even if, as one member wrote after leaving, the substitution was not believed in. In spite of this possible caveat, the phrase "Weishaupt's Christianity" was used by Robison throughout.

Robison disagreed with these concepts. Throughout his description of Weishaupt's beliefs, the author was consistently warning his readers not to fall for the Illuminati's ideas of equality and their view of Christianity which he considered Deistic and one step away from Naturalism or Atheism, all of which Robison perceived as evil.

The recruitment of women was one aspect of Weishaupt's efforts Robison had a serious problem with. While the author believed there to be no deficiency in the female mind in talent or disposition, he saw them as the upholders of morality and what was right in the world. In spite of this seeming liberated position regarding talent, he considered women's positive place in society dependent upon and a direct result of traditional Christianity. While I disagree with his correlation and perceive this religion a detriment to women's rights, it is understandable considering when this work was written. He also considered women to be the upholders and teachers to men of traditional morality and deserved an honored place in society as a result. In addition, he believed that British women were the most free.

Political ideas are discussed at length. Robison considered Weishaupt's ideas regarding the abolition of government through any means necessary not only dangerous but resulting in mass chaos. The author believed in a class society with a Monarch at the head and that the development of leaders in a society was natural. He believed that, while anyone can serve their nation in government, it should be difficult to achieve and only the landed gentry were the best qualified. He was convinced that universal suffrage would lead to corruption and was thus opposed to the idea. He also urged Peers to reject every revolution that degrades the Peerage. In light of this, he was troubled by the Duke of Orleans' support of the French Revolution.

The Duke, according to Robison, wished to become King of France and thus provided support for the revolution without realizing that he would become a target if Louis XVI were overthrown. While Robison admitted that the need for a complete change in the system was needed, he suspected a considerable degree of influence in that direction from the Illuminati. Robison, who also belonged to a Masonic Order, maintained that one of the Revolution's concepts, the Rights of Man, was merely Illuminati jargon that the Order did not believe in. He also opposed the anti- religious writings of Voltaire and similar people. However, he did not discuss specific points of disagreement.

Robison praised the British skeptical writers for keeping within the bounds of decency and argument until Paine's Age of Reason was published. He further comments:

I cannot help thinking that British sentiment, or British delicacy, is changed; for Paine's book is treated by most of our reviewers with an affected liberality and candour; and is laid before the public as quite a new matter, and a fair field for discussion—and it strikes me as if our critics were more careful to let no fault of his opponents pass unnoticed than to expose the futility and rudeness of this indelicate writer.

On another issue, that of freethought, Robison considered its natural course leading to licentiousness and skepticism. He criticized the Prussian king for tolerating it, but maintained that only through a concerted governmental effort could it be curtailed. In another place he advocated the regulation of the spirit of enquiry. How is not stated. He warned that, in particular, free- thinking Protestants had explained and otherwise twisted the Bible so that hardly anything is left of revealed religion for people to believe in.

Interspersed in Robison's discussions of politics, religion and morality were several illicit affairs of Weishaupt and others with whom he disagreed. He justified this by stating that their actions contradict their own morality. Thus should people follow their teachings? That people are inconsistent in practicing what they believe is no reason solely in itself not to adopt those ideas a reader or listener can live with. These personal attacks have no place in a work of ideas as this purports to be.

Robison also attacked the French and Germans for following Illuminati concepts and Christian mysticism. More than once he lauded Britain for such ideas as its fair treatment of women, the simplicity of British Masonry, and the superiority of its parliamentary system of government. A definite anti-French sentiment is noticeable throughout.

Robison described the conflict between traditional, faith-based Christianity and a version of Christianity based upon reason. He also contrasted the existing authoritarian, class-structured society with the proposed individualist, classless society, preferring the former. Weishaupt wished to abolish authority, both civil and religious and replace it with independent thinking by rational people and a government similar to Anarchy. My political beliefs are more in line with Weishaupt.

Well worth reading if one can get past Robison's vitriol, patriotism, and typical 18th-century longwindedness.

Proofs of a Conspiracy, by John Robison. ©1967 Western Islands, Belmont, MA 02178. 304 pp paperback.

Joseph Uphoff is a writer of numismatics and history