Freemasonry & the Birth of Modern Science [Hardcover]

Robert Lomas (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2003

In 1660, within a few months of the restoration of Charles II, a group of twelve men, including Robert Boyle and Christopher Wren, met in London to set up a society to study the mechanisms of nature. At a time when superstition and magic governed reason, the repressive dogma of Christian belief silenced many, and where post-war loyalties ruined careers, these men forbade the discussion of religion and politics at their meetings. The Royal Society was born and with it modern, experimental science.

This situation seems unlikely enough, but the fact that the founding members came from both sides of a brutal civil war makes its origins all the more astonishing. Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science is a fascinating study of the turbulent political, economic, and religious background to the formation of the Royal Society - an era of war against the Dutch, the Great Plague, and the Great Fire of London. In particular, it reveals the ambitions of one man, Sir Robert Moray, the key driving force behind the society. Building on his detailed experience of another organization and the principles on which it was based, Moray was able to structure and gain finance for the Royal Society. This other organization, the "Invisible College" as Boyle called it, is know today as Freemasonry.

Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science will make you reassess many of the key events of this period and will show how Freemasonry, supported by Charles II, was the guiding force behind the birth of modern science, under the cover of the Royal Society.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Robert Lomas gained a first-class honors degree in electrical engineering before earning a Ph.D. for research into solid state physics and crystalline structure. He has always had a keen intereset in the history of science and wrote an acclaimed biography of Nikola Tesla entitled the Man Who Invented the Twentieth Century.

In 1986, Robert became a Freemason and quickly became a popular lecturer on Masonic history before co-authoring the international bestsellers, The Hiram Key, The Second Messiah, and Uriel's Machine. He currently lectures in Information Systems at Bradford University School of Management.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 374 pages
• Publisher: Fair Winds Press (MA) (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592330118
• ISBN-13: 978-1592330119
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,284,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Story of a Fascinating Man, June 4, 2003

By 

Joe Ceirw (Florida) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Freemasonry & the Birth of Modern Science (Hardcover)

Robert Lomas, who I first came across when I read the Hiram Key, has tackled a fascinating subject in this book. He tells the story of a little known founder of the Royal Society of London, which is one of the most important scientific organisation in the world. The man Lomas decribes is Sir Robert Moray.

Moray started life as French spy, served in the Scots Rebel Army during the English Civil War, helped negotiate the surrender of King Charles the First, got sent to prision for trying to murder King Charles the Second and then founded the Royal Society. What a man. Lomas has pieced together Moray's story from a whole raft of different sources and then retold it in very readable way.

When I read this book I felt that I understood the politics of the English Civil War for the very first time, and I certainly learned a lot more about the contribution Freemasonry has made to modern society. Dr Lomas is a scientist and it shows in the very clear way he explains the experiments and ideas of these founders of modern science. The review of the Civil War is honest and impartial but the enuthusiasm for the enigmatic Sir Robert Moray shows through in part. A great read.

I heard Lomas being interviewed on Ron Hawk's Mind Body and Spirit Show earlier this week and he talked a lot of sense.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in either science, the English Civil War or Freemasonry.

A worthy successor to the Hiram Key. Keep up the good work Robert!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No conspiracy--but history, March 13, 2004

By 

Joseph G. Wick (Los Angeles, California United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Freemasonry & the Birth of Modern Science (Hardcover)

Lomas is anxious to establish that the Royal Society for the Advancement of Learning was founded largely by (Jacobite) Masons. His arguments are a little stretched, but by and large persuasive. Along the way there are some great tidbits about Oliver Cromwell and the Restoration, especially about Charles II and the major Scotsmen of the era. EXCELLENT. Also, the very last part of the book does a plausible job of linking Masonic "philosophy" with the naissance of "scientific thinking." Finally, the last chapter has an excellent summary of what freemasonry is really about. As Masonic history it does a good job of pushing the origins back to about 1500 A.D. Worth noting is that there is a short, interesting and free book available online to purchasers of this book. Your copy will have a passcode to the website. Very good reading if you're interested in the development of our scientific outlook and related institutions.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worthwhile, March 10, 2004

By 

Arthur D. Reddin "artreddin" (Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Freemasonry & the Birth of Modern Science (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and commend the author for presenting his research in such an accessible form. I've incidentally come to a better understanding of the abiding interest in Jacobean politics by present-day descendants of the Scottish families involved. Perhaps I've also come to an appreciation of the self-identification, stemming from this fascinating history, of some Protestant neighbours from my childhood.

Lomas has included an extensive bibliography but apparently at the time of writing was oblivious to the even more far-reaching account of the principle actors' philosophical roots, as detailed in M. Baigent and R. Leigh's The Elixir and the Stone (Penquin 1998; available at Amazon.ca and Amazon.co.uk)

In summary, the book lives up to all of its claims and is excellent value, particularly in the paperback Fair Winds Press edition or the Headline Mass Market edition, the latter available through Amazon.ca as "The Invisible College.