Ether and Reality

Originally published in 1925, this monograph explores the relationship between the theoretical substance of ether and our perception of reality.

In the late nineteenth century, it was generally acknowledged among the scientific community that light must move through a substance, just as sound waves move through air. That substance was luminiferous ether. First published in 1925, this monograph introduces the non-scientific reader to the theory of ether and its effects.Among the widely agreed facts of physics in the late nineteenth century was the existence of luminiferous ether: the medium through which light was thought to travel. Theorised to be a highly rarefied substance, the ether accounted for the movement of light, gravity and even heat across a vacuum. It also had great implications for spiritualism. Where thought was not proven to be a result of chemistry in the brain, the presence of ether allowed for the idea that cognition and emotion might exist independently of a physical body. First published in 1925, this monograph by the eminent physicist and ether advocate Sir Oliver Lodge (1851–1940) was written for the non-scientific reader. With a focus on straightforward explanations rather than mathematical theory, his book still represents a fascinating introduction to the topic today.