The Masonic Movement and the Enlightenment

Freemasonry was one of the most important social movements of the Enlightenment, and it played a significant role in the dissemination of the new philosophy throughout Europe and the Americas. The Masonic lodges provided a forum for the discussion of the new ideas, a network of contacts that connected the leading intellectuals of the period, and a model of voluntary association that was an important precursor of the modern civil society. This article examines the role of Freemasonry in the Enlightenment, including its connections to the new philosophy, the spread of the movement across Europe, and its lasting influence.

The Origins of Modern Freemasonry

Modern Freemasonry, in the form in which it became influential in the eighteenth century, originated in the early eighteenth century in England and Scotland. The first Grand Lodge of Freemasons was established in London in 1717, and the movement quickly spread to the British colonies in America, to France, and to the rest of Europe.

The original Masonic lodges were fraternal organizations that brought together men of different backgrounds for the discussion of moral and philosophical questions. The lodges were organized around rituals and symbols that were derived from the medieval craft guilds of stonemasons, but the new Freemasonry transformed these rituals and symbols into a kind of moral and philosophical teaching.

The connection between Freemasonry and the Enlightenment was close from the beginning. Many of the leading figures of the British Enlightenment were Masons or sympathetic to Masonry, including Isaac Newton, John Locke, David Hume, and the various other thinkers who were active in the early eighteenth century. In France, Voltaire was initiated into the Masonic lodge of the “Nine Sisters” in 1778, and the lodge became an important gathering place for the French philosophes.

The Spread of Freemasonry in Europe

The Masonic movement spread rapidly throughout Europe in the eighteenth century, and by the end of the century there were tens of thousands of Masons in the major European countries.

In France, the Masonic lodges were particularly important. The lodges brought together the leading intellectuals, writers, scientists, and aristocrats of the French Enlightenment, and they were an important vehicle for the dissemination of the new philosophy. The most famous French lodge was the “Nine Sisters” (Les Neuf Sœurs), which Voltaire joined in 1778 and which Benjamin Franklin helped to organize.

In Germany, the Masonic lodges were also important, and they were closely connected to the German Aufklärung. The leading figures of the German Enlightenment, including Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and Moses Mendelssohn, were Masons or sympathetic to Masonry. The German lodges, like the French lodges, were important venues for the discussion of the new ideas.

In the American colonies, the Masonic lodges were also important. Benjamin Franklin was a prominent Mason, and he helped to organize the American lodges. The American lodges brought together many of the leading figures of the American Enlightenment, and they were an important vehicle for the dissemination of the new ideas in the New World.

The Masonic Ideals

The Masonic movement was animated by a set of ideals that were closely connected to the Enlightenment.

The first ideal was the belief in the brotherhood of humanity. The Masons believed that all human beings, regardless of their nationality, religion, or social class, were brothers, and that they should treat each other with respect and kindness. This ideal was closely connected to the Enlightenment commitment to the equal moral worth of all human beings.

The second ideal was the belief in the use of reason. The Masons believed that the proper development of the human faculties required the cultivation of reason, and that the proper use of reason was the foundation of the moral and the political life. This ideal was closely connected to the Enlightenment commitment to the use of reason as the proper guide in matters of belief and conduct.

The third ideal was the belief in religious toleration. The Masons believed that the proper response to religious difference was toleration, and that the various religions should be free to pursue their own ways without interference from the state. This ideal was closely connected to the Enlightenment commitment to religious toleration as a basic principle of the modern state.

The fourth ideal was the belief in the improvement of the human condition. The Masons believed that the proper response to the human condition was the active effort to improve it, and that the cultivation of the human faculties and the development of the moral and intellectual life were essential for the proper functioning of the political and social life. This ideal was closely connected to the Enlightenment commitment to the possibility of progress.

The Masonic Network

The Masonic movement was, in addition to its philosophical commitments, a network of personal contacts that connected the leading intellectuals of the Enlightenment across national boundaries. The Masons who were initiated into a particular lodge could travel to other lodges and be received as brothers, and the network of lodges provided a kind of international infrastructure for the dissemination of the new ideas.

The network was particularly important in the French-speaking world, where the Masonic lodges in France, Switzerland, and the French colonies were closely connected. The French lodges, in particular, were an important vehicle for the dissemination of the new ideas throughout the French-speaking world.

The Masonic network was also important in the development of the American Revolution. The American Masonic lodges were connected to the French lodges through the network of international Freemasonry, and the French support for the American Revolution was in part the result of the connections that the Masonic network had established between the two countries.

The Lasting Influence

The Masonic movement has had a lasting influence on the development of modern civil society. The voluntary associations, the fraternal organizations, and the various other forms of social organization that have developed in the modern world draw on the central arguments of the Masonic model.

The Masonic movement has also had a lasting influence on the development of modern political culture. The principles of religious toleration, of the brotherhood of humanity, and of the use of reason that were developed in the Masonic lodges have become basic features of contemporary democratic culture.

The Origins of Modern Freemasonry

The Spread of Freemasonry in Europe

The Masonic Ideals

The Masonic Network

The Lasting Influence

Further Reading