Overview

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.

Full Product Details

9781912142347

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

"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."" Freelance translator, graduated with a Distinction in her Master's in Translation at Goldsmiths, University of London. She translates Spanish and French texts into English in a range of domains, including medicine, journalism, law, and international politics. Laura currently resides in London and is pursuing a career in publishing as an editor. Randall Christoph Herman Lesaffer (born 25 April 1968) is a Belgian historian of international law. He has been professor of legal history at Tilburg University since 1999, where he also served as dean of Tilburg Law School from 2008 to 2012. His work focuses on the Early Modern Age (16-18th centuries). Lesaffer was born in 1968 in Bruges, the town where he continues to live. He studied law as well as history at the universities of Ghent and Leuven. In 1998, he obtained his PhD in law from the University of Leuven. He became professor of legal history at Tilburg University in 1999 and is also part-time professor of International and European history at the University of Leuven. Lesaffer's work focuses on the history of public international law, a field which has gone through a significant growth as an academic discipline since the 1990s. He mainly published on international law in the European Early-Modern Age. He is the editor of the Oxford Historical Treaties, a digitisation of historical treaties. general editor of the book series Studies in the History of International Law (Brill), editor of the Global Law Series (Cambridge UP), editor of the Journal of the History of International Law, president of the Grotiana foundation (Stichting Grotiana). Lesaffer was dean of Tilburg Law School from 2008 to 2012. During his term the school launched an English-taught Bachelor in Law on 'Global Law' and made globalisation the core of its strategy. Lesaffer co-founded the Law Schools Global League in 2012 and was one of its two founding presidents. The League is an association of about 25 law schools from all over the world to work around globalisation. He is also visiting professor at the Católica Global Law School in Lisbon. He has been actively involved in local politics in Bruges since the 1990s. He was chairman of the VLD (liberal party) in Bruges from 1993 to 2001 and served as a member of the city-council for CD&V in 2011-2012. He was a member and vice-president of the Port Authority of the harbour of Bruges-Zeebruges from 1999 till 2014."

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available