How The Hippies Invented The Illuminati Conspiracy

I need to make a confession: I love conspiracy theories. Like a dragon in a cave, I collect them, sleep on top of them, amuse my friends and confuse my dates with them, and never get enough. I always dreamt of inventing one myself. It must be like creating a drug at the end of a lifetime of sobriety. Turns out, quite a few people think the same way. They are so good that their theories get a life of their own, and the authors remain forgotten. The Illuminati conspiracy ‒ one of the best theories around ‒ was invented by two hippies working for Playboy in the 70s. It was supposed to serve a good cause ‒ as they imagined it ‒ to shake people up and make them question the reality of the things around them. Just like all great human creations, this conspiracy theory got a life of its own and left behind its creators. And now, it can prove another important point: it is in our nature to believe in conspiracy theories. As puzzling as they are, they help us make sense of the world, and make it a less scary place.