s brilliantly dissects the fascination with secrecy among individuals who fear that government agencies will use covert machinations against them. In Shils’s concept, this counterculture is “tormented” by the govern- ment’s possession of knowledge unavailable to them. Members of this culture tend to beli

with secrecy among individuals on all ends of the political spectrum who fear that government agencies will use covert machinations against them. In Shils’ concept, this anti- government counter-culture is “tormented” by the government’s possession of knowledge unavailable to them. Those who subscribe t