Download or read book A System of Morality written by George Boys-Stones and published by . This book was released on 2020-03-28 with total page 61 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: English Freemasonry defines itself as a 'system of morality': but what does that phrase mean? This new study traces it back to the work of William Preston (1742-1818), who argued that Freemasonry teaches a philosophical aproach to virtue. According to Preston, the rituals of Freemasonry are designed to lead the initiate through the ethical thought of Aristotle. His view proved popular, and was decisive in shaping the ritual approved for use by the United Grand Lodge of England shortly after its formation in 1813. Almost all English lodges, and many others throughout the world, still use a ritual derived from this one, and, perhaps without realising it, continue to pay silent tesimony to Preston and to Aristotle in their work.