The Enlightenment thinkers of the 18th century set out to create a framework for a rational view of the world. Their reference point was Isaac Newton (1). They were convinced that everything could be explained scientifically and were not shy of broad generalizations: In particular, they believed, in analogy to Newtonian physics, that there existed laws that governed society (2, 3). The Enlightenment was also a period of closeness of science, industry, and the arts. A fascinating example of this trend emerged in England. Birmingham, Manchester, and Newcastle were fast-growing centers of the new industries, the development of which was grounded in the progress in chemistry and physics, and in such inventions as the steam engine, and the spinning frame for the textile industry. An array of societies founded in the second half of the 18th century provided platforms where their members—industrialists, scientists (and artists)—shared their views on new developments, their applications, and the changing world. The most active of the out-of-London societies was the Lunar Society of Birmingham. It was founded in 1764–1765 by Erasmus Darwin, Matthew Boulton, and Charles Small. Erasmus Darwin—the grandfather of Charles Darwin—was a physician and poet (2 …