Moral And Philosophical Instruction
We must provide it
In my Jurisdiction, moments before a man knocks on the door of the Lodge for the very first time, and before he takes his first step into that sacred space, he is told:
“Freemasonry consists of a course of moral and philosophical instruction…”
Just after that explanation or definition of our Craft is given to him, he knocks on the door for his Initiation as an Entered Apprentice.
Since we tell him that, in such a solemn manner during such an important event, we must provide it.
And I think that our Craft teaches basic morality quite well. It’s tenets are repeatedly found in our ritualistic work, in Masonic discussions and publications, and stressed through our actions as Freemasons.
But basic morality is easy to teach. And it is frequently taught. Many of us learn it in Church, we learn it in our schools, and we learn it from other people, our parents, grandparents, and friends.
Philosophy is not so easy to teach.
But we must, because we tell every new Mason that we do.
Recently I’ve been attempting to do that here on Emeth.
Not because I am in any way qualified to teach philosophy, but because we are charged to do so as Masons, and because we have old books available to us.
I may not be qualified to teach philosophy, but I can certainly find wonderful excerpts from books of philosophy and share them. By discussing them together, we can teach each other philosophy. Particularly Masonic philosophy.
You quite likely already know this, but I’ve been doing this in two discrete sections of Substack. You can find them both at:
and
In the first, I am posting quotations from Albert Pike’s book, Morals and Dogma. In the second we have read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and now we are working our way through How To Die by Seneca.
I believe that these are valuable excerpts, and very valuable discussions, when those discussions occur.
But, I would like to know what you think about them. So, I’m going to ask that you lend me a hand by answering a couple of questions below:
Thank you for taking the time to answer this brief survey. It will be helpful to me.
But, beyond Emeth, we must always remember the promises our Lodge makes to its Initiates, and work to fulfil that promise, for by making a promise it becomes our duty, and the honor of our Lodge is at stake.
“Since we tell him that, in such a solemn manner during such an important event, we must provide it.”
This may be an example of how we get in our own way.
In many places, the line “Freemasonry consists of a course of moral and philosophical instruction” is finished with “illustrated by hieroglyphics, and taught, according to ancient usage, by types, emblems, and allegorical figures.” Meaning that moral and philosophical instruction is the ritual itself.
Another example is found in the installation of officers, when the new WM is charged to provide a lecture for each meeting. We today envision a monologue on some enlightening and improving subject, but when that charge was made ritual, a “lecture” was a Q&A interaction between the WM and each brother and consisted of the elements of a degree. It was a recap of the ritual, and it was necessary because there were no (official) ritual books.
I would bet a hundred bucks that the “moral and philosophical instruction” too was the ritual that was about to be revealed to the candidate.
Nothing wrong with also providing extracurricular instruction that fits and complements the tenets of Freemasonry, of course, but there’s no need for us to feel deficient for not knowing how to teach philosophy.
Jay
Worshipful Brother. Having the opportunity to get together and discuss lifes experiences in the context of philosophical discussion is one of my favorite parts of fellowship, Lodge, and Masonry. Various media platforms headlining philosophical and solutions based discussions are garnering significant interest from the public, and I think we could learn something from it.
The attention these topics bring could help to revitalize the craft, bringing those desiring personal improvement and good company. It could be as simple as a book club, a podcast, or a youtube channel discussing various works relevant to the task of making good men better.