Who's Afraid of Freemasons?

by Alexander Piatigorsky, Александр Пятигорский

Barnes & Noble; Later printing edition (2005)

Genres: History

398 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Alexander Moiseyevich Piatigorsky (Russian: Александр Моисеевич Пятигорский, Александр Пятигорский; 30 January 1929, Moscow – 25 October 2009, London) was a Soviet dissident, Russian philosopher, scholar of South Asian philosophy and culture, historian, philologist, semiotician, writer. Well-versed in the study of language, he knew Sanskrit, Tamil, Pali, Tibetan, German, Russian, French, Italian and English. In an obituary appearing in the English-language newspaper The Guardian, he was cited as "a man who was widely considered to be one of the more significant thinkers of the age and Russia's greatest philosopher." On Russian television stations he was mourned as "the greatest Russian philosopher."

Reviews

[Cwn_annwn_13]

Judging by the title I thought this was going to be a book trying to debunk the conspiratorial viewpoint many have about Freemasonry. Its actually a mix of mainstream Masonic history and blue lodge level Masonic "secret" rituals, symbology and oaths with the authors spin and opinions on them. Overall most of this book is boring but you get some decent history and some of their so called "secrets" but there is nothing in this that hasn't been presented better in other books.

[David]

Horribly academic account and interpretation of the foundational texts of modern Freemasonry. Purportedly written by a cowan, Piatigorsky, hand-waves away the more esoteric aspects of the craft focusing instead on the unknowability of Freemasonry without undergoing the initiatory rites. Written in modern liberal academicese the author spends more time on the misguided and subjective interpretation of the outsider (a position Piatigorsky supposedly holds) rather than a comprehensive history. Notably absent are the works of Albert G. Mackey and the more fantastical claims of masonic historiography, and higher-level Scottish Rite wackiness. Like a cop telling you "nothing to see here" in the most verbose prolix manner he can.

Included, however, are the complete initiatory rites of the lower 3 levels in all their mundane robotic glory which almost makes it worth the price of admission.

[Curtis Glenn Heath]

Focuses on the history of the freemasons, from the Grand Lodge forward. Doesn't spend much time on proving or disproving masonic "pseudo-history," other than to explain the cultural tide of the day that might have contributed to anti-semitism, class jealousy, and the growing importance of unions.

[Melanie Wallace]

Interesting perception from an otherwise obscured angle.