Were the first scientists hermetic philosophers? What do these occult origins of modern science tell us about the universe today? The Forbidden Universe reveals the secret brotherhood that defined the world, and perhaps discovered the mind of God. All the pioneers of science, from Copernicus to Newton via Galileo, were inspired by Hermeticism. Men such as Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Leibniz, Bacon, Kepler, Tycho Brahe - even Shakespeare - owed much of their achievements to basically occult beliefs - the hermetica. In this fascinating study, Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince go in search of the Hermetic origins of modern science and prove that not everything is as it seems and that over the past 400 years there has been a secret agenda behind our search for truth. From the age of Leonardo da Vinci, the influence of hermetic thinking upon the greatest minds in history has been hidden, a secret held by a forbidden brotherhood in search of the mind of God. Yet this search does not end in history but can be found in the present day - in the contemporary debates of leading evolutionists and thinkers. The significance of this hidden school can hardly be over-emphasised. Not only did it provide a spiritual and philosophical background to the rise of modern science, but its worldview is also relevant to those hungry for all sorts of knowledge even in the twenty-first century. And it may even show the way to reconciling the apparently irreconcilable divide between the scientific and the spiritual. Picknett and Prince go in search of this true foundation of modern rational thought and reveal a story that overturns 400 years of received wisdom. Praise for Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince: Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince...specialise in topics that challenge established and cultural history.' Fortean Times. 'Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince...hold as good a claim as any to be the model for Robert Langdon, for their book stands at the heart of The Da Vinci Code's ideas.' The Rough Guide to The Da Vinci Code. One of the most fascinating books I have read since The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail.' Colin Wilson
Before their serendipitous first encounter in 1989 on a doorstep in Swiss Cottage, north London, Lynn, originally from the city of York, was a journalist, editor of books and several major partworks (she was deputy editor of the seminal 1980s publication The Unexplained), broadcaster and television presenter. Clive, a Londoner, had worked for several years as a systems analyst for a major national charity. However, after meeting they abandoned their 'proper' jobs to concentrate full-time on research into religious and historical mysteries, which became a successful and enduring joint career in authorship.
Jointly they are the authors of The Turin Shroud, The Templar Revelation, The Stargate Conspiracy, Double Standards, The War of the Windsors, Friendly Fire, Sion Revelation and The Masks of Christ.
