The Invisible College : The Royal Society, Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science

by Robert Lomas

In 1660, within a few months of the restoration of Charles II, a group of 12 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 book is a 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. It aims to make readers reassess many of the key events of this period, showing how Freemasonry, supported by Charles II, was the guiding force behind the birth of modern science, under the cover of the Royal Society.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science, Philosophy, Occult

Paperback

First published January 7, 2002

Reviews

[Lenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

To me, the title was rather misleading. The book was a mix of a history of England/Scotland, Freemasonry, and the Royal Society. However, the three didn't come together in a significant way until the final chapter. The initial chapters wandered and were too stream of consciousness for me. I felt reading the final chapter and the appendix were most useful. Lomas several times alludes to the fact that he organized the book in the order he did the research and I think this was a mistake. It read in great part like research notes, not like a final manuscript. Much of the history of England and Scotland were things I was unaware of, but didn't seem as crucial to present as he felt they were.

There are some good nuggets of information in the book. I do have a number of dogeared pages that note things I want to go back and learn more about. Overall not a bad book for reference, but not an easy, clear read. I'm left wanting to know much more about Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science.

[Dr Susan Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting but rather long-winded and repetitious. Good to learn more about the founders, notably 'spy' Ribert Murray and the importance of the Scots and Freemasonry. No wonder we women didn't get a look in until the late 20th to early 21st century. I've known a few FRS's, notably my friends Colin Patterson, Freddie Marshall and Peter Purves with known I learnt to drink well when young....not sure if the males were freemasons. Latterly only Jenny Clack made the grade. Lomas gives good notes to sources and a bibliography and a helpful timeline.but as often I gad to add to the index, especially as there was no entry for 'women' despite many references, hence as usual 'invisible' much more so than the men.

[Mark Livingstone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

This book shows how in 1660 a dozen Freemasons joined to establish what would come to be the world’s premiere scientific body- The Royal Society.
Lomas has written an information rich book, who was a pleasure to read.

[Brian Nolan · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF!!! Too much repetitive paragraphs.

[Amish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always a treat to read their research.

[Willow Redd · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book I've been wanting to read for a while now. I've always been interested in Freemasonry, and have recently been reading up on the Invisible College and the Royal Society. While there was less about the Invisible College than I expected (meaning none at all), this was still a fascinating look at the origins of the Royal Society and its connections to the Scottish Rite.

Robert Lomas was interested in finding out how, just after a bloody Civil War and the dismantling of Cromwell's Republic, could a group of science-minded men from both sides come together to work on the most puzzling mysteries of the natural world known at the time. Here, he goes into the history of the founders, the story of the Reformation, and even goes as far back as possible into the beginnings of Freemasonry and shows how all these things, through Sir Robert Moray, created the group responsible for the practices of modern science and the advancement of human knowledge.

Definitely worth a read.

[Colby Moorberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

As both a Freemason and a scientist I found this book particularly enjoyable. It is very dense, and is a great piece of scholarly writing. As such, it's not exactly an easy read, but very interesting nonetheless. I've heard so much about some of the scientists that were part of the Royal Society, and I knew many of them were Masons. However, I never knew just how intertwined these scientists were with Freemasonry.

For those of you who are interested in the history of Freemasonry but not so much about the science, this book goes into great detail about the early history of the craft. You will not be disappointed. It does a great job of explaining the history of Freemasonry, the split between the "ancients" and "moderns", and their eventual merger - all within the scope of loyalties each group had to the different royal families.

[Chuck Springer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book offerings a good hypothesis of how modern science really began. It was compelling to read this tremendously examined book on the founding and development of Freemasonry in England and Scotland and its relationship to the establishment and growth of the Royal Society. I learned that it was supported of Charles II and key individuals from both sides of the civil war. While there were drawbacks due to the war against the Dutch, and natural disasters, nevertheless men of various religious and political views came together to form the Royal Society. They were able to set aside their political and religious loyalties for the pursuit of a common objective. It is my opinion that the author did an excellent job in backing up his assertions and conclusions, with an abundance of references.

[Monique · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book isn't for everyone, but I've always been curious about the Freemasons and this book gives a history of how they began and the connection of Freemasons to the beginning of the Royal Society in England. With exploration of this history provides an interesting, and different for me, prospective of the history of England during the Reformation and Restoration period. Since Robert Lomas is a scientist and a member of both societies, he gives his own interesting prospective also as he uncovers the development of "birth of modern science".

[Gregg Shoemaker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book to be poorly written and extremely difficult to read. I also found the book to have an extremely misleading title. the book was about the Royal Society not Freemasonry. These groups are completely different. Simply belonging to both does not make them linked or the same in any way. I failed to see that the author linked the two together in a sufficient manner to warrant the titles claims.

[Gunderhaegg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some books just need an editor... Although the idea for the book is enticing and the amount of work behind it is impressive, I have to admit that book is lacking in a number of respects. I found the book to be repetitive and poorly organized, which unfortunately obscured the rather interesting story about the Royal Society and it's connections with Freemasonry.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moderately decent book on the role freemasonry played in the founding of the British scientific societies.