Ascend to the higher plane of consciousness with the most audacious, unclassifiable, and utterly fascinating visionary of early twentieth-century America. Read the complete book online for free.
Published in 1904, Born Again is not a book that fits neatly into any category. It is part science fiction, part philosophical treatise, part utopian manifesto, and part autobiography of the soul. Its author, Alfred W. Lawson, was one of the most extraordinary figures in American intellectual history: a professional baseball player, a pioneering aviator, a self-taught economist, and the founder of a religious movement that survives to this day. His book is the record of his spiritual awakening, or rather his “rebirth”—not into Christianity but into a new understanding of the universe, humanity, and the destiny of the race.
The narrator, Alfred Lawson, is traveling by train from New York to Philadelphia. He falls asleep. He dreams. In his dream, he is transported to the planet Mars, where he encounters a civilization vastly superior to our own. The Martians are not little green men; they are human beings, descended from the same stock as Earthlings, but they have evolved beyond our petty concerns, our competitive economics, our warring nations. They live in harmony, governed by the laws of “Lawsonian” philosophy, which the author—in a burst of breathtaking self-confidence—has been chosen to reveal to humanity.
On this page, you can experience one of the strangest and most sincere books ever written by an American visionary. We offer the complete 1904 text for online reading.
Book Info
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Title | Born Again |
| Author | Alfred W. Lawson |
| Year of Publication | 1904 |
| Genre | Utopian Fiction, Philosophical Fiction, Visionary Literature |
| Language | English |
| Legal Status | Public Domain in the U.S. |
| Format | Online Reading |
Read Born Again Online
Close your eyes on the train from New York and open them on the plains of Mars. Begin this extraordinary visionary narrative by entering the dream interactively below.
This preview introduces the sleeping prophet and his Martian guide. However, the full, astonishing revelation—the laws of Creation, the critique of earthly civilization, the vision of humanity’s destiny, and the call to spiritual rebirth—is available in the complete text for our subscribers.
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About the Book Born Again
Alfred W. Lawson believed he had discovered the fundamental laws of the universe. He called his system “Lawsonian Philosophy” or simply “Lawsonomy.” It encompassed everything: physics, biology, economics, politics, theology. It was, he claimed, the only complete and accurate description of reality ever formulated. Born Again is the account of his discovery of this system, couched in the form of a Martian dream-vision.
The Author as Hero
Most utopian novels feature a passive narrator who is guided through the ideal society by a native informant. Lawson dispenses with this modesty. His narrator is Alfred Lawson, and his Martian guide repeatedly assures him that he has been specially chosen to receive and transmit the truth. “You are the one,” the guide tells him. “Through you, the people of Earth will learn the laws of Creation.” This is not irony. Lawson genuinely believed that he had been selected by cosmic forces to save humanity. The sincerity is disarming.
The Critique of Earth
The Martians are baffled by Earthly civilization. Why do we compete when we could cooperate? Why do we hoard wealth when abundance is possible for all? Why do we fight wars over arbitrary boundaries drawn on maps? Lawson’s critique of capitalism is thorough and, in many respects, prescient. He anticipates the concerns of modern environmentalism, the critique of planned obsolescence, the demand for economic democracy. His solutions—collective ownership, rational distribution, universal education—are less original, but his indignation is genuine and contagious.
The Martian Society
Lawson’s Mars is a utopia of efficiency and harmony. There is no money, no private property, no social classes. Every citizen works according to ability and receives according to need. The Martians have eliminated disease, extended the human lifespan, and achieved a level of technological mastery that makes earthly inventions seem primitive. They travel in airships, communicate across vast distances, and harness the fundamental energies of the cosmos. Yet they are not coldly rational; they sing, dance, celebrate, love. They have perfected human nature without suppressing it.
The Spiritual Dimension
Born Again is not merely a social utopia; it is a spiritual autobiography. Lawson describes his own spiritual condition before his rebirth: “I was dead, though I walked and spoke and breathed. I was a corpse animated by habit, a ghost haunting my own body.” His encounter with the Martians awakens him to his true nature as an immortal soul, a spark of the divine consciousness that pervades the universe. This language is explicitly religious, though Lawson’s religion is not Christianity but a kind of cosmic pantheism.
The Laws of Creation
The philosophical core of the book is Lawson’s exposition of the fundamental laws governing existence. These include the Law of Penetration (the tendency of energy to move from higher to lower concentration), the Law of Suction (the compensating movement from lower to higher), and the Law of Equilibration (the balance between opposing forces). Lawson believed that these laws explained everything from the motion of planets to the circulation of blood to the operation of markets. He was not a scientist; he was a system-builder, constructing a unified theory of everything from intuition and analogy.
The Legacy of Lawson
Alfred Lawson founded the University of Lawsonomy in 1943, a school in Wisconsin dedicated to the propagation of his ideas. He wrote dozens of books, published his own newspapers, and attracted a small but devoted following. The Lawsonomy movement survives today, maintaining his writings and awaiting the vindication of his vision. Lawson died in 1954, convinced that his name would one day rank with Newton and Einstein. This has not happened. But his books remain, strange and sincere, monuments to a mind that refused to accept the limits of the possible.
Why Read the Book Born Again Today?
Because it is a window into a lost America—the America of self-taught philosophers, crank prophets, and utopian dreamers who believed that one man with a good idea could change the world. Lawson was not a great writer or a rigorous thinker, but he was something rarer: an original. His book is unlike any other you will read. It is naïve, grandiose, repetitive, and utterly sincere. It is also, in its peculiar way, inspiring. Lawson believed in humanity’s potential for improvement. He believed that knowledge could set us free. He believed that he had been chosen to deliver that knowledge. He was wrong about the details. He may have been right about the hope.
FAQ
Is this a religious book?
It is religious in the broad sense: it concerns the ultimate nature of reality and humanity’s place within it. Lawson founded a movement that had many of the characteristics of a religion—sacred texts, rituals, a charismatic founder—but he always insisted that his system was scientific, not spiritual.
Did Lawson really believe he had visited Mars?
He believed he had received a vision of Martian civilization. Whether he considered this vision literally true or metaphorically true is difficult to determine. His followers took it literally; Lawson himself was characteristically ambiguous.
Is there a connection to Lawson’s aviation career?
Absolutely. Lawson was a genuine aviation pioneer who designed and built several aircraft, including the Lawson Airliner, one of the first multi-engine passenger planes. His technical experience informed his philosophical system; he often used mechanical analogies to explain cosmic processes.
How long is it?
Approximately 250 pages in standard editions. It is a substantial work, though it can be read relatively quickly due to Lawson’s repetitive, accessible prose style.
Can I read it on my phone?
Yes. The dream-vision structure divides the book into discrete episodes, each a complete encounter or revelation. It is ideal for curious readers who want to dip into the mind of American originality.