Today there are many people who believe that secret societies areoperating across the world in the areas of politics, finance andeducation. This is not a new phenomenon; it can be found in the historyof many countries and nations. Linked to these thoughts is a belief thatunpleasant events can be attributed to such organisations.It is the author's contention that there are people who seek an explanation forchanges or events in society by claiming that they are the result of theworkings of a secret society or societies. He asserts that this is largely aconsequence of the fact that historians and other commentators, fromthe 20th century onwards, have tended to ignore explanations regardingsecret societies and influence as paranoid-driven explanations,unworthy of serious analysis. Such an approach has led to theunintended consequence of an open season for conspiracy theorists.