Freemasonry and Enlightenment Sociability

Freemasonry, which grew out of older stonemasons' guilds, became one of the most popular forms of association in the 18th century; the Grand Lodge of London was founded in 1717, and lodges soon spread across Europe and the Americas. Masons met in lodges where members of different social ranks and Christian denominations called each other 'brother', elected their officers and followed written constitutions.

Many historians, including Margaret Jacob, argue that lodges gave members practical experience of self-government, voting and equality that mirrored Enlightenment ideals. Members included Montesquieu, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, and Mozart's opera The Magic Flute contains Masonic themes. Freemasonry also attracted suspicion: Pope Clement XII condemned it in 1738, and its secrecy later fed conspiracy theories blaming Masons for revolutions, claims historians reject. Most lodges excluded women, though some 'adoption' lodges admitted them.

Freemasonry shows how Enlightenment values were practiced in social life.