TOBE/Inside The Grassy Knoll

Not surprisingly, the socialist revolutionaries of the Promethean faith sought to tangibly enact their own conception of Bacon's New Atlantis. Sociopolitical Utopians, their various ideological permutations notwithstanding, have always strove to establish a "pure technocratic society." Sociopolitical Utopianism is, in turn, derivative of Gnosticism. This derivation is illustrated by sociopolitical Utopianism's rejection of pistis, which the early Gnostics considered inferior to gnosis.

Yet, the sociopolitical Utopian's derision for cognitio fidei led revolutionaries to conclusions that were even more radical than those of traditional Gnosticism. For traditional Gnostics, the transcendent held primacy over the immanent. The sociopolitical Utopian, on the other hand, re-conceptualized transcendent objects of faith as objects of immanent experience. This re-conceptualization began with the Gnostic desire to draw knowledge that was commonly associated with the transcendent "into a firmer grip than the cognitio fidei, the cognition of faith, will afford" (Voegelin 124). The resultant Weltanschauung, however, bestowed metaphysical primacy upon the ontological confines of the physical universe. Thus, sociopolitical Utopians attempted to transplant objects of faith within the finitude of human knowledge and experience. In this sense, the sociopolitical Utopian qualifies as a new Gnostic whose immanentist impulses find affirmation in scientific materialism.

One object of faith that this modern incarnation of Gnosticism sought to draw into human history was the Eschaton (i.e., the End of Days): "In place of an Eschaton which ontologically transcends the confines of this world, the modern Gnostic envisions an End within history, an Eschaton, therefore, which is to be realized within the ontological plane of this visible universe" (Smith 238; emphasis added). Herein is the conceptual basis for the Utopian vision of a "heaven on earth." It is premised upon Gnostic epistemology and, as such, is inherently occult in character. Its adherents spawned secular revolutionary movements that, sociologically, behaved like religions: "In this century, with the presentation of traditional religious positions in secular form, there has emerged a secular Gnosticism beside the other great secular religions--the mystical union of Fascism, the apocalypse of Marxist dialectic, the Earthly City of social democracy. The secular Gnosticism is almost never recognized for what it is, and it can exist alongside other convictions almost unperceived" (Webb 418).

Friedrich Engels described Marx's theory as "scientific socialism" because both science and Marxism bestowed epistemological primacy upon observable phenomenon ("Scientific socialism," Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia). Thus, radical empiricism provides the epistemological basis for all modern forms of scientific totalitarianism. It is also with radical empiricism that one finds another occult element of sociopolitical Utopianism. This epistemology stems from the Gnostic derision of pistis.

Moreover, radical empiricism arrives at conclusions that are inescapably mystical in character. An exclusively empirical approach relegates cause to the realm of metaphysical fantasy. This holds enormous ramifications for science. What is perceived as A causing B could be merely a consequence of circumstantial juxtaposition. Although temporal succession and spatial proximity are axiomatic, causal connection is not. Affirmation of causal relationships is impossible. Given the absence of causality, all of a scientist's findings must be taken upon faith. Ironically, science relies on the affirmation of such cause and effect relationships.

That such mystical elements pervade radical empiricism comes as little surprise. Modern science, which finds its epistemological foundations in radical empiricism, has all of the elements of a myth. Self-avowed "shaman of scientism" Michael Shermer has proposed that the scientist should assume the role of the modern mythmaker: " . . . because of language we are also storytelling, mythmaking primates, with scientism as the foundational stratum of our story and scientists as the premier mythmakers of our time" ("The Shamans of Scientism").

As mythmakers, modern scientific materialists have sought to supplant the traditional religious systems of the past with their own theocratic order. This new configuration of society demands a new myth. Rene Guenon eloquently synopsizes: "Thus it comes about that there has grown up in the 'scientistic' mentality . . . a real 'mythology': most certainly not in the original and transcendent meaning applicable to the traditional 'myths,' but merely in the 'pejorative' meaning which the word has acquired in recent speech" (151).

According to the late Joseph Campbell, science functions as a cosmological myth: "[T]he second function of a mythology is to render a cosmology, an image of the universe, and for this we all turn today not to archaic religious texts, but to science" (116). The image of the universe as rendered by science is an inherently mutable one. Matter, from the scientistic vantage point, is malleable and can be manipulated through the gnosis of science. This occult conception of science began with "a network of Humanist associations" throughout early-Renaissance Italy (Martin 518-19). These early humanists, who would eventually co-opt the operative Mason guilds in the late 1500s, transplanted the concept of gnosis (i.e., special knowledge, not standard epistemological knowledge) within the ontological confines of the physical universe:

The way in which science arrives at its beliefs is quite different from that of medieval theology. Experience has shown that it is dangerous to start from general principles and proceed deductively, both because the principles may be untrue and because the reasoning based upon them may be fallacious. Science starts, not from large assumptions, but from particular facts discovered by observation or experiment. From a number of such facts a general rule is arrived at, of which, if it is true, the facts in question are instances. Science thus encourages abandonment of the search for absolute truth, which belongs to any theory that can be successfully employed in inventions or in predicting the future. "Technical" truth is a matter of degree: a theory from which more successful inventions and predictions spring is truer than one which gives rise to fewer. "Knowledge" ceases to be a mental mirror of the universe, and becomes merely a practical tool in the manipulation of matter (13 -15; emphasis added).

The manipulation of matter is a consistently recapitulated theme among sociopolitical Utopians. This theme gains greater significance when one ponders the etymology of the term "Technocracy." Not surprisingly, most sociopolitical movements throughout history have sought to instantiate technocratic forms of governance. "Technocracy" is a very interesting appellation to assign such a form of governance. It is attached to the Greek word techne, which means "craft." Simply defined, "crafting" is the skillful creation of something. Hence, expressions such as "outstanding craftsmanship" or a "master of the craft." In the context of sociopolitical Utopianism, "crafting" is the skillful creation (or, more succinctly, re-sculpting) of reality itself. The "special gnosis" of science has provided the means through techne. Mark Pesce, co-inventor of Virtual Reality Modeling Language, elaborates: "The enduring archetype of techne within the pre-Modern era is magic, of an environment that conforms entirely to the will of being" ("Ontos and Techne"). Commenting upon techne's role in manipulating matter, Pesce writes: "Each endpoint of techne has an expression in the modern world as a myth of fundamental direction—the mastery of matter . . ." (ibid; emphasis added).

From this distinctly occult vantage point, technology, which represents the practical application of science, is a form of sorcery for manipulating and mastering matter. Modern science views matter as the primary substance that constitutes the fabric of the physical universe. In turn, modern science views the ontological confines of the physical universe as the totality of reality. Thus, he who has mastered matter through the gnosis of science has mastered reality itself. Reality becomes a malleable lump of clay to be molded by the omnipotent fingers of the scientific adept. Of course, such an adept would qualify as a deity. After all, shaping reality was originally the province of God. According to semiotician Elizabeth C. Hirschman, man's apotheosis lies at the core of science as a cosmological myth:

The rise of Science as a cosmological mythology in the 1500's set up a struggle with the prevailing metaphysical doctrine of Christian theology, which . . . has never been resolved as a cultural discourse. At its core, the conflict centers around the usurpation of god-like powers by man. Armed with such supernatural abilities, humans can manipulate and alter life in ways that are reserved by Nature/God. The first cultural myth encapsulating this conflict was, of course, the Faust legend, in which a medical doctor (i.e., scientist) sold his soul to Mephistopheles (i.e., the Devil) in exchange for knowledge and power belonging to God (21; emphasis added).

The Faust legend echoes the theme of Genesis 3:5, where the serpent promises Eve that ". . . ye shall be as gods." The Apostle John identifies the serpent as Satan in Revelation 20:2. Not surprisingly, Satan was an object of veneration for early sociopolitical Utopians, particularly those of the Enlightenment. For instance, a picture of Lucifer (i.e., Satan's original angelic persona) adorned the title page of the first edition of Denis Diderot's Encyclopedie (Goeringer, "The Enlightenment, Freemasonry, and the Illuminati"). This veneration of the Devil under his original angelic title constitutes the religion of Luciferianism. Like some varieties of Satanism, Luciferianism does not depict the devil as a literal metaphysical entity. Instead, Lucifer symbolizes the cognitive powers of man. He is the embodiment of science and reason. It is the Luciferian's religious conviction that these two facilitative forces will dethrone the "superstitious" institutions of God and apotheosize man.

However, Lucifer would assume yet another title. The term Lucifer, as translated by St. Jerome from the original Hebrew Helel ("bright one"), shares the same meaning as Prometheus who brought fire to humanity ("Lucifer"). The mythical character of Prometheus was central to the Utopian vision of early socialist revolutionaries. James A. Billington explains:

Of course, such a messianic view of science is vintage scientism. One of the earliest exponents of this scientistic Weltanschauung was Sir Francis Bacon, who coined the famous aphorism: "Knowledge itself is power." According to Carl Raschke, this dictum is thematically underpinned by Gnostic occultism: "The well-known maxim of Bacon, nam et ipsa scientia potestas est ('Knowledge itself is power'), is often commemorated as the credo of the new science, but it also suits quite precisely the magico-religious mentality of Gnosticism" (49).

Bacon was a member of a secret society called the Order of the Helmet (Howard 74). The organization's name was derived from Pallas Athene, the Greek goddess of wisdom who was portrayed wearing a helmet (Howard 74). Although regarded as an innovator of science by orthodox academia, Bacon's studies mostly embraced occultism. In his youth, Bacon was "a student of Hermetic, Gnostic, and neo-Platonist philosophy and had studied the Cabbala" (Howard 74).

Allegedly, Bacon was also a Grand Master of the secret Rosicrucian Order (Howard 74). The Rosicrucians were closely associated with Freemasonry (Howard 50). In fact, a Rosicrucian poem written in 1638 voices the organization's close ties with the Lodge (Howard 50). It reads, "For what we pessage is not in grosse, for we brethren of the Rosie Crosse, we have the Mason's Word and second sight, things to come we can foretell aright . . ." (qutd. in Howard 50). In other words, Rosicrucians knew the "inner secrets of Freemasonry and possessed the psychic power to predict the future" (Howard 50).

In 1627, Bacon published a novel entitled The New Atlantis (Howard 74). The pages of Bacon's book were adorned with Freemasonic symbols, such as "the compass and square, the two pillars of Solomon's temple and the blazing triangle, and the eye of God, indicating his association with the secret societies who supported his Utopian concepts" (Howard 75). The novel "describes the creation of the Invisible College advocated in Rosicrucian writings" (Howard 74). This Rosicrucian mandate for an "Invisible College" was realized with the formation of the Royal Society in 1660 (Howard 57).

Fischer synopsizes Bacon's "Utopian concepts":