Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science

by Lomas, Robert

• ISBN13: 9781592330645
• ISBN10: 1592330649
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-03-04
• Publisher: Fair Winds Pr

Summary

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 known 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. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Robert Lomas is the co-author of The Hiram Key, The Second Messiah, and Uriel's Machine. A Freemason, he lectures at Bradford University in England.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	ix
Prologue A Cold Winter's Day in Late November	1	(10)
Chapter 1 A World before Science	11	(14)
Chapter 2 The Founders of the Royal Society	25	(26)
Chapter 3 Conflicting Stories	51	(20)
Chapter 4 The Patron Saint of Frozen Chickens	71	(10)
Chapter 5 An Alien Monarch	81	(22)
Chapter 6 The Life and Soul of the Royal Society	103	(36)
Chapter 7 Fellow Number Thirty-seven	139	(26)
Chapter 8 The Restoration	165	(28)
Chapter 9 The Royal Charters	193	(24)
Chapter 10 Early Works	217	(30)
Chapter 11 Gossips, Spies and French Mistresses	247	(12)
Chapter 12 A Legend of Gracious and Kindly Kings	259	(28)
Chapter 13 Sir Robert's Heritage	287	(12)
Postscript Life, the Universe and a Theory of Everything	299	(10)
Appendix The Scientific Secrets of the Craft	309	(14)
Endnotes	323	(14)
Bibliography	337	(8)
Timeline	345	(6)
Index	351