Sunday, October 30, 2011

Reflection #11: Franklin's Virtues and Deism

Benjamin Franklin is known for his inventions. But he is also known for being an active member of rationalism and Deism. Apparently, which I had no prior knowledge of, is also recognized for his thirteen virtues. I know what virtues are, but I was not aware that people were and are actually recognized specifically for them. Virtues kind of go hand in hand with morals. Everyone has different morals, which then in turn give them all different virtues. When studying Benjamin Franklin’s thirteen virtues, you get a glimpse of rationalism within them.

Franklin had two sets of virtues, the first being personal. Personal virtues pertain to your attitude activities and their challenges. Good personal character traits will better your chances of success in achieving your goals. The first couple personal virtues were temperance and order. Temperance goes along with rationalism because rationalists had to do things in moderation. They could not just blow things up, because it would overwhelm people and it would not be a good thing. The order aspect of the personal virtues goes with rationalism because rationalists had to be organized and have an order in order to prove their points. The next couple virtues were resolution and frugality. Rationalists wanted a resolution to things (Franklin). That was their main point. Something needed to be done. Frugality makes me think of rationalism because rationalists used their resources and prior knowledge in order to prove their points (Franklin). Moderation and industry were also a part of Franklin’s virtues. Moderation goes along with temperance. But industry goes along with rationalism because you are always suppose to be at work and always busy doing something. Rationalists were trying to get their point across and were always busy (Franklin). The last two personal virtues were cleanliness and tranquility. I do not see how cleanliness goes along with rationalism, but I guess it could be cleanliness in your approach to things. Do not get dirty; say what you need to say but in a positive and respectful way. Tranquility is the last one. You cannot be disturbed by obstacles you may face. You must push through all obstacles and trifles (Bloom). Ben Franklin’s personal virtues really showed how he incorporated his life and actual virtues into rationalism (Bloom).

Franklin also had social virtues. These included silence, sincerity, justice, chastity, and humility. The silence aspect goes along with rationalism because you should not speak poorly about someone because it could come back to bite you in the butt. With sincerity, you have to be sincere and understanding of the situations faced with rationalism. Justice is just showing that rationalists wanted peace and just wanted to do what was right and what had to be done (Franklin). I do not understand how chastity incorporates with rationalism, but I am sure there is something. The final social virtue is humility and it says to imitate Jesus (Bloom). Rationalists did what was needed and, though they were not holy-rollers, I still think that they had God in the back of their mind. The social virtues, in my opinion, pertain strongly towards rationalism.

Overall, Ben Franklin incorporated his thirteen virtues within his rationalism. He used his own mind and feelings in order to shape his rationalist ideas. I feel that knowing Benjamin Franklin’s virtues gives you a better understanding to where his rationalist ideas came from. But his virtues could have also came from his rationalist ideas. I guess we will never know since I am not Ben Franklin and nor will I ever meet or talk to Ben Franklin.

Bloom, Harold, ed. "Benjamin Franklin." Benjamin Franklin, Classic Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 

Boucquey, Thierry, gen. ed. "Franklin, Benjamin."Encyclopedia of World Writers, 14th through 18th Centuries. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2005. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 


Imbarrato, Susan Clair, and Carol Berkin. "deism."Encyclopedia of American Literature, Revised Edition: Settlement to the New Republic, 1608–1815, vol. 1, Revised Edition. New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2008. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 


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