The worldview of the masons in the context of the Russian enlightenment of the 18th century

the Freemasons' worldview, within the context of the 18th-century Russian Enlightenment, represented a complex and contradictory phenomenon, an alternative to the mainstream intellectual currents of the era. While the European Enlightenment affirmed the cult of reason, progress, and scientific knowledge, Russian Freemasons proposed a fundamentally different system of thought. They consistently criticized the rationalist paradigm, insisting on the priority of spiritual experience over intellectual understanding of the world. Key ideologists of the Masonic movement – N.I. Novikov, I.V. Lopukhin, and A.F. Labzin – developed the concept of inner self-improvement through mystical knowledge of God. Characteristic features of their philosophy included religious mysticism; the priority of transcendental experience; a critique of materialistic views; and the idea of moral self-education. The Masonic brotherhood effectively proposed an alternative model of enlightenment – not an external, intellectual one, but an internal, spiritual transformation of the individual. Freemasonry had a significant influence on the development of the Russian intellectual community, becoming a catalyst for social thought and a prerequisite for future social transformations. The Brotherhood not only communicated a specific set of philosophical views but also offered a unique model of public service, in which personal development and moral maturity were fundamental principles of civic engagement.

history, education, Freemasonry, Russian state, mysticism, empire