Man and the Universe

In this 1908 work, a pioneering physicist reconciles the fundamental modern opposition between scientific rationality and religious faith.

In this work, first published in 1908, the physicist Sir Oliver Lodge brings together science and faith, examining the 'Truths underlying the great mysteries' of religion as well as the mysteries confounding the great truths of science. This is a reissue of the 1909 sixth edition of an immensely popular book.The physicist Sir Oliver Lodge (1851–1940) made significant contributions to the study of electrons, electromagnetic waves, X-rays, radio and telegraphy, earning him the Rumford Medal, the Faraday Medal and, in 1902, a knighthood. In addition to serving as President of the Physical Society, Lodge succeeded F. W. H. Myers as President of the Society for Psychical Research, an organisation devoted to the study of paranormal phenomena. In this work, first published in 1908, Lodge discusses the controversy between science and faith, showing how the self-sufficient laws of 'orthodox science' may be reconciled with the divinely ordered universe of 'orthodox religion'. Immensely popular from the moment of its publication, the book reached its twenty-first printing in 1928. This sixth edition of 1909 conveys the full scope of Lodge's ambitious project, including his treatments of evolutionary science, church reform and the immortality of the soul.