Abstract
The last chapter explores the legacy of the Society and the professionalization to which it gave rise. The New Shakspere Society would mark the first time that science would be applied to Shakespeare in a disciplined and meticulous manner; it would also mark the beginning of a new way of looking at and talking about Shakespeare; its history is interconnected with the rise of method and the diminution of empathetic or intuitive readings. Likewise, a study of the New Shakspere Society may serve as a timely reminder that knowledge itself is socially dynamic, that sometimes corrosive language wins the day, and sometimes good ideas must bide their time. It likewise follows that feeble concepts—like using mathematics to identify Shakespeare—once disseminated can be difficult to dislodge.