Modern Ideas
International Law and Freemasonry
Published on 30. August 2020
Book
Hardback
146 pages
978-1-912142-34-7 (ISBN)
Description
Modern Ideas: International Law and Freemasonry is an exploration of the impact that Freemasonry, one of the most well-known secret societies history has ever known, has had on the development of international law, society, and politics, and human rights. The author, Belgian scholar Ernest Nys, was a lawyer and distinguished professor of Public International Law at the University of Brussels, a staunch advocate of internationalism, and a Freemason himself. In Modern Ideas, Nys relates the legends and facts of Freemasonry’s origins and eventual spread over multiple continents, noting the many eminent figures that joined its ranks along the way and that Masons featured prominently, and were even leaders, in some of history’s most significant moments, such as the French Revolution, or that several of the founding fathers of the United States were Freemasons. Nys also discusses the swathes of opposition and outright persecution Freemasonry has faced from individuals, political leaders, monarchs, and religious institutions, but underlines the society’s resilience. Its motto: liberty, equality, fraternity, forms the primary theme that Nys argues throughout his work; he advocates that Freemasonry has been the long-standing defender of religious tolerance, human rights, and cosmopolitanism. Ultimately, Nys presents the argument that International Law owes much to Freemasonry, which thus changed humanity for the better.
More details
Language
English
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
Illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
391 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-912142-34-7 (9781912142347)
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Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Ernest Nys (1851-1920), a Belgian lawyer and celebrated scholar, studied under Bluntschli and Heffter, was admitted to the bar in Antwerp in 1877, became head of office at the Ministry of Justice in 1878, entered the judiciary as a judge at the Court of First Instance at Antwerp and was later appointed judge at the Brussels Court of First Instance, becoming Vice President of the court in 1898, and finally a counsellor at the Brussels Court of Appeal in 1903 and President of Chamber at this court in 1920, only months before his death. Alongside his judicial duties, he pursued a professional career at the Université Libre de Bruxelles between 1885 and 1920, holding numerous positions of note, including President of the Law Faculty (1898-1900). His interest in international law began to bear fruit with his first publication in 1879: The Papacy Considered in Relation to International Law. He had a strong connection to England, spending much time in the library at the British Museum. He translated James Lorimer's Principles of International Law (1885) and John Westlake's Studies in International Law (1895) into French, and was awarded honorary doctorates from the universities at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Oxford. Paul Errera, speaking of Nys, wrote the following lines: "The extreme modesty of his life, which never knew worldly vanities, allowed only a few friends to approach him and fully appreciate him as a man... his heart was equal to his intelligence, which is no small thing to be said of him."