Good Day My Fellow Travelers,
Here's an article published in February 2014 based upon my upcoming book, "Building Free Men - Uncommonly Freeing Masonic Education - Volume 8", due out in about 2 months that might be of interest to you.
Fraternally and Sincerely,
Fraternally and Sincerely,
Bro. John S. Nagy
Building Better Builders Series Author
When I Entered the ranks of the Fraternal Order, I was led
to believe that I was now part of “Speculative” Masonry only, not Operative
Masonry in any way and my Brothers reinforced this division. I was further told the distinction between the
two had to do with their focuses and activities. I was moreover informed that Operative Masons
were those individuals who plied their trade upon physical stones only.
Speculative Masons, on the other hand, erect a spiritual temple, a house not
made by hand, eternal in the heavens. It
was implied that the division between the two had to do with physical versus
mental work.
________________
The
Coaches Coach: Drawing Distinctions – Operative and Speculative
When you rely solely
upon what others tell you, you risk knowing only what little you are
told.
I’ve come across enough instances where the use of words was
so twisted off course that the meaning behind their original intent was no
longer recognizable. Such instances
occur regularly in life and, not surprisingly, within the Freemasonic Organization. These instances can often appear overwhelming
and certainly disconcerting, especially to those who enter into Freemasonry’s
knowledge game with the preconceived notion that what is shared within its
hallowed halls is complete, factual and unwavering. Such is the case with the words associated
with Operation and Speculation as used within the
Fraternity. Should you accept without waver what is offered by your Brothers, further
scrutiny of these words shall neither occur, nor bring fresh Light to shuttered
eyes.
________________
Soon thereafter I earned the right to Travel, I quickly
became aware that there were some very different definitions used outside of
the Fraternity associated with the words used within the phrases that differentiated
modern day Freemasons and Masons who existed as members prior to Grand Lodge
Era. These differences were startling.
As time unfolded, I noticed a continuous decline in member
participation within the craft over the relatively short time that I was part
of the organization. I began asking myself and others if we were missing
something in our instructions that might provide a clue to this decline. Was there something in our training that was
not being conveyed that should be? Did we
somehow miss an important aspect of the Craft that brought upon us the very decline
that we wanted to avoid? I was sure that
there was something, but I was not clear as to what it was.
Speculation
My search for answers to these questions led me to look into
the very words put before me and many other Brothers during Instruction. One of many words I started examining was the
word, “speculative”. At first, my search
led me to definitions and I didn’t like what I found. As the word, “speculative[i]”
is defined today, it means, “engaged in, expressing, or based on conjecture
rather than knowledge.” This definition
had me scratching my head. I didn’t like
the phrase “rather than knowledge”, especially since it was Light that
attracted me to the Organization. I also
took the time to look up the word, “conjecture[ii]”,
since I was now questioning a lot of things including what I thought I knew.
The definition for the word, “conjecture”, provided me with very
little comfort. In fact, it was quite
disquieting! It said that a conjecture
was “an opinion or conclusion formed on the basis of incomplete information”
and it was the opposite of “fact”.
Surely this was not what was behind the meaning of “speculative”! Surely this disturbing definition was not behind
why so many Brothers knew so little about the role that speculation was
supposed to play in their own lives!
Rattled, I dug deeper.
Going into the etymology of the word, “speculative[iii]”,
provided some much needed comfort and relief.
It said that it originally meant, “purely scientific [iv],
in theory only”. I could easily embrace
that. The etymology also said to look at
“speculation[v]”,
and so I did. I found it meant,
“intelligent contemplation, consideration; act of looking”. I liked that phrase, “intelligent
contemplation”. I knew what being contemplative[vi]
meant, or at least, what it meant to me.
Stepping back from the quarry dig, I realized the word,
“speculative”, had undergone a tremendous shift in meaning over the years. Much like the words, “Mason” and “Freemason[vii]”,
its general use today reveals it had gone through a semantic shift and doesn’t
mean what it did many years ago. Its
originally meaning denoted, “prolonged theoretical thought”, and connoted, “the liberal arts as opposed to the ‘mechanic’
arts (i.e., arts requiring manual skill)”.
It is clear that the intent of the word, “speculative”, was not to
engage in unfounded thinking but to use it as a bridging metaphor for building
toward the application of techniques used to “build builders of men” by way of
the liberal arts study rather than the manual arts. In essence, Speculative Masons are supposed
to be “Well-Founded Cultivated Thinkers”.
Such Cultivation doesn’t occur without Operative elements. This
means it requires Work!
Operation
Eventually, I operated consciously and deliberately away
from speculativism[viii],
I turned my attention to the word, “operative[ix],
[x]”. The word appeared to be straightforward in
its definition: functioning, having effect; a worker. Further investigation revealed
that not much had changed in its overall meaning over time, other than wider
applications. What were more telling to
me though were the archaic meanings and roots:
done by labor; creative; formative. Its antonym was “invalid”, affirming the lack
of results that non-operation would bring forth should one not engage oneself
actively in one’s endeavors. These pieces
all dove-tailed very nicely with the slogan that I heard years before I joined
the Organization of Free and Accepted Masons: Masonry Makes Good Men Better.
Or, as I have said many times before: No Work, No Transformation!
Further speculation into the label that Speculative members
put forth to differentiate themselves from their stone carving Brothers brought
forth an interesting question. If Operative members of the Organization did
all the labor, and Speculative members did all the thinking, wouldn’t the
Organization need both functioning together to accomplish anything of
significance?
Results
The response to this question is that it is not as clean cut and divided a Craft as many members might want to conclude. Although
the labels originally put forth by our Speculative progenitors were done so with
the best of intentions, it doesn’t take any deep speculation to quickly realize
they do not do justice to the Craft if one assumes and acts as if a separation
actually exists: to accomplish anything of great importance, one must both Speculate and Operate[xi]. Even Rituals today in many different
jurisdiction state quite succinctly that “our
ancient brethren worked at (wrought in) both Operative and Speculative Masonry[xii]”.
This makes sense too for anything that Masons diligently Operated upon
would have to be backed by well-founded Speculation toward what was to be Built
if such activities were to have any lasting value.
And, as in ancient times, the same goes for our modern day
Brothers. Rituals say that “…as the Operative Workman Erects his
temporal Building…, so should we (“Free and Accepted Masons”), both Operative and Speculative, Endeavor
to Erect our Spiritual Building… [xiii]”
connoting that both functions must occur, along with the assignment of the
labels “Operative and Speculative”, even when the erections that current modern
day members strive to bring forth are that of Spiritual Temples.
Unfortunately, creating a division, due to any unfounded
Speculative belief that Spiritual Temples require no Operative involvement to
bring it forth only confuses the Builders of such temples. Severing them in twain mistakenly divides one
from the other in our current Craft efforts.
This either 1) prevents
Building altogether due to lack of Operation, or 2) when such Building goes
unguided for lack of well-founded Speculation, only Rubbish ensues.
What’s more, neither of these outcomes are the desired
results that any man intent upon Betterment should accept! As much as Freemasonic Training offers to its
members opportunities to think; little to no Work is required. Masonic Training however requires you to
Operate as a Well-Founded Cultivated Thinker; this requires Work! To obtain Better, Operative and Speculative
Functions must unite within you and Work together.
ae))))fb
Points
to Perpend
1.
Do you believe speculation is the only activity required
to improve yourself?
2.
If you were to take upon yourself activities
that actually “have effect” upon your personal improvement, what would those transformative
activities be?
3.
Should you look upon your role in your life as a
responsible proactive Speculator and Operator, what do you believe your future
activities would include?
[i]
speculative (adjective) 1.engaged in, expressing, or based on
conjecture rather than knowledge. [synonyms: conjectural,
suppositional, theoretical, hypothetical, putative, academic, notional,
abstract; tentative, unproven, unfounded, groundless, unsubstantiated]; 2. (of
an investment) involving a high risk of loss. [synonyms: risky, hazardous,
unsafe, uncertain, unpredictable; informal, chancy, dicey, iffy]
[ii]
conjecture (noun) 1. an opinion or conclusion formed on the
basis of incomplete information. [synonyms: speculation, guesswork,
surmise, fancy, presumption, assumption, theory, postulation, supposition;
inference, (an) extrapolation; an estimate; informal, a guesstimate, a shot in
the dark, a ballpark figure]; [antonyms: fact]; 2. an unproven mathematical or
scientific theorem. 3. (in textual criticism) the suggestion or reconstruction
of a reading of a text not present in the original source.
(verb) 1. form an opinion or
supposition about (something or someone) on the basis of incomplete information.
[synonyms: guess, speculate, surmise, infer, fancy, imagine, believe, think,
suspect, presume, assume, hypothesize, suppose];[antonyms: know]; 2. •(in
textual criticism) propose (a reading).
Origin: late Middle English (in the senses ‘to divine’ and ‘divination’):
from Old French, or from Latin conjectura, from conicere ‘put together in
thought,’ from con- ‘together’ + jacere ‘throw.’
[iii]
speculative (adjective) late 14c., “contemplative,” also “purely scientific, in theory only”
(opposed to practical), from Old French speculatif “worth great attention;
theoretical,” or directly from Late Latin speculativus, from past participle
stem of speculari (see speculation). Meaning “given to (financial) speculation”
is from 1763. Related: Speculatively.
[iv]
scientific (adjective)1. based on or characterized by the methods
and principles of science. [synonyms: technological, technical;
research-based, knowledge-based, empirical]; 2. relating to or used in science.
3. informal: systematic; methodical. [synonyms: systematic, methodical,
organized, well-organized, ordered, orderly, meticulous, rigorous; exact,
precise, accurate, mathematical; analytical, rational]
Origin: late 16th cent.: from French scientifique or late Latin
scientificus ‘producing knowledge,’ from scientia. Early use described the liberal arts as opposed to the “mechanic”
arts (i.e., arts requiring manual skill).
[v]
speculation: (noun) late 14c., “intelligent contemplation,
consideration; act of looking,” from Old French speculacion “close observation,
rapt attention,” and directly from Late Latin speculationem (nominative
speculatio) “contemplation, observation,” noun of action from Latin speculatus,
past participle of speculari “observe,” from specere “to look at, view”. Meaning “pursuit of the truth by means of
thinking” is from mid-15c. Disparaging sense of “mere conjecture” is recorded
from 1570s. Meaning “buying and selling in search of profit from rise and fall
of market value” is recorded from 1774; short form spec is attested from 1794.
[vi]
contemplative: ( adjective) 1. expressing or involving prolonged thought.
[synonyms: thoughtful, pensive, reflective, meditative, musing, ruminative,
introspective, brooding, deep/lost in thought, in a brown study]; 2.involving
or given to deep silent prayer or religious meditation. 3. a person whose life
is devoted primarily to prayer, esp. in a monastery or convent.
[vii]
The Coaches Coach: Drawing Distinctions – Freemasonry and Masonry; Dr. John S.
Nagy (2014)
[viii] speculativism:
the excessive use of speculation.
[ix] operative: (adjective) 1. functioning; having effect.
[synonyms: in force, in operation, in effect, valid]; [antonyms: invalid]; 2.(of a word) having
the most relevance or significance in a phrase or sentence. [synonyms: key,
significant, relevant, applicable, pertinent, apposite, germane, crucial,
critical, pivotal, central, essential]; [antonyms: irrelevant]; 3. of or
relating to surgery.; (noun) 1. a worker, esp. a skilled one in a manufacturing
industry.; [synonyms: machinist, (machine)
operator, mechanic, engineer, worker, workman, blue-collar worker]; 2. a
private detective or secret agent; [synonyms: agent, secret agent, undercover
agent, spy, mole, plant, double agent; (archaic) intelligencer]; 3. detective,
private detective, investigator, private investigator, sleuth;
Origin: late Middle
English: from late Latin operativus, from Latin operat- ‘done by labor,’ from the verb operari
[x]
operative (noun) “worker, operator,” 1809, from
operative (adj.); sense of “secret agent, spy” is first attested 1930, probably
from its use by the Pinkerton Detective Agency as a title for their private
detectives (1905).
(adjective) “producing the intended effect,” early 15c., from Old French
operatif (14c.) or directly from Late Latin operativus “creative, formative,” from operat-, past participle stem of
operari. Weakened sense of “significant, important” is from 1955.
[xi]
operate (verb) c.1600, "to be in effect,"
back-formation from operation, or else from Latin operatus, past participle of
operari "to work, labor, toil,
take pains" (in Late Latin "to have effect, be active, cause"). Surgical sense is
first attested 1799. Meaning "to work machinery" is from 1864 in
American English.
[xii]Which
is preceded by “We work as Speculative
Masons only…” with few Brothers realizing that the words “work” and
“operate” are synonyms, inferring that they must be Operative in their
Speculative Practice.
[xiii]
And as the operative workman erects his temporal
building in accordance with the
designs laid down upon the trestle board, by the master workman, so should we, both operative and speculative, endeavor to erect our spiritual building
in accordance with the designs laid down by the Supreme Architect of the
universe, in his great book of nature and revelation, which is our spiritual,
moral and masonic trestle board.
