How Did Benjamin Franklin Contribute To The Enlightenment

The primary source being discussed is an excerpt from the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. It was written by Benjamin Franklin discussing the philosophical developments of the Enlightenment, and its implication into his life. Being an autobiography, this selection was published in a book, and was written by its subject. Franklin was a very influential part of the Enlightenment in the colonies, which makes this selection very relevant. This article was written with the intent to further educate the colonists on the Enlightenment and Franklin’s belief.

The Enlightenment is when popular Christian preachers in the 1700’s preached to their congregation that freedom does not bestow from the English crown but is bestowed from God. They explained to their people that they had free will to choose what they wanted to do in order to be the best they could be for themselves. This included freedom of commerce, freedom of religion, and freedom of press. The Enlightenment gave people courage because of their faith in God to pursue freedom. Benjamin Franklin guided people in politics and people in the religious fashion and got them together. He helped facilitate the continental congress and other countries that would help support us during the revolutionary war. Franklin helped introduce Enlightenment to America through his readings, his writings, and his actions.

He affirmed that people could be ethical without having a religion or believing in God. Franklin’s philosophies general followed the principles of what became known as “The Age of Enlightenment. He based his philosophy on the belief that man had the ability to think for themselves and the power to do good for mankind and use their talents for the betterment of all.He concluded that people could build their societies without being told how and what to do by one government that ruled all. While Franklin was certain that there was a higher power, he also accredited man, with the capabilities of securing his own happiness through self discipline and hard work. Franklin defended freedom of religion and that the basics of most religions were to do good to others. Therefore, at some point on earth or in the hereafter, those who sought the route of crime would be punished. Thus, he respected all religions as he concludes,” These I esteemed the essentials of every religion; and, being to be found in all the religions we had in our country, I respected them

To continue, the second most important virtue from Franklin’s experiment is Moderation. “Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.” In other words, try not to have things in abundance. The virtue Moderation is important because it can cause great jealousy in other human beings. For example, when someone finds themselves with an abundance of money or other material possessions, they might become green with envy. Those people, in order to have equal or more other worldly possessions, may result to crime to get the things the other person already obtains. Moderation throughout life may also prevent people from getting overwhelmed. If everyone had a determined amount of what they would bring into their homes, they would be less likely to become stressed with dealing with all those things. Along with becoming overwhelmed with all of the excess objects, many health problems may come along the way. Such as heart problems, lack of sleep, and an overall unsettled state of mind. Moderation can also be applied to things like drinking, eating, and working/slacking off. People who are known to eat in bulk have tendencies to have weight problems with also lead to health risks. Those who drink excessively can be turned from upstanding men and women of society, into foolish looking people that

Benjamin Franklin notably contributed to the period of religious revival known as the Great Awakening. Being a printer, he was well acquainted with the texts of different religious sects, because much of the material printed at the time were Bible texts. Franklin represents a quintessential ideal of how to achieve success through education. His pursuit of perfection was driven by the values instilled in him by his Puritan father as

It is ironic how two men were both born during the same time period, in the same area, and had many similar ideas on one’s behavior, beliefs in God, and impacts on society; and they didn’t even know who they other person was! Both Ben Franklin and Jonathan Edwards were born in the eighteenth century, within three years of each other. They were both contemporaries and took time to write about themselves or their outlooks on life. They felt it was important to contribute to society and to share their ideas with others. Ben Franklin and Jonathan Edwards were similar and different in many ways, including their attitudes or perspectives on moral perfection, their beliefs in God, and their impacts on society throughout their life.

While Patrick Henry and Benjamin Franklin both believed in patriotism and realism they both differed in the politics. They both wanted patriotism and wisdom, but one wanted a whole new government and one wanted the same government, but wanted to make it better for the people and their enemies.

Some similarities that Henry and Franklin share are they both want to gain independence from New England. They both wanted to be free and have a united society. They both agree that they must speak out against England in order to gain independence like they want.

The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Reason, was the root of many ideas of the American expansion; it was an era of intellectual ferment and prosperity that brought reasoning and political science over superstition and blind faith. Benjamin Franklin’s contrast in ideas from that of the puritans are a clear indication of morality and how it is being redefined. Enlightenment thinkers such as Franklin addressed acknowledged information and spread new thoughts regarding transparency, investigation and self-exploration that will create a major turning point in western advancement, an age of light replacing the age of the blind.

Enlightenment thinkers rejected assumptions such as accepting of ideas of the Church because the Church says they are correct and instead needed empirical and factual evidence to support their theories. Many theories and laws speculated during the Enlightenment proved to be true and became the basis for rational thinking. The Enlightenment was mainly composed of farmers, artisans, and well-educated colonists, who delved into subjects such as science and human intelligence in costly books and newspapers. Benjamin Franklin, a middle-class colonist, is widely considered as the essence of the Enlightenment, as he had a ravenous intellectual curiosity and believed in the use and application of science. This American movement strengthened colonists’ contempt towards English royalty, pushing for independence rather than being property of another country. Enlightenment thinkers presented many philosophies encompassing the rights of man and the duties of a government, such as John Locke, who contributed ideas of entitlement to life, liberty, and property and separation of powers were eventually incorporated into the current

One main reason that the enlightenment thinkers had a variety of different opinions and thoughts on people of different races, is there life experiences and what they had previously been exposed to. Benjamin Franklin regards the “Savages of North America” in a much higher esteem than most other people of the time. He writes “Savages we call them, because their Manners differ from ours, which we think the Perfection of Civility. They think the same of theirs.” Franklin then goes on to report about a time when the Government of Virginia and the Six Nations met up to discuss the Treaty of Lancaster. Seeing them in a position of power, discussing this topic with the white colonists on fair footing is an experience many people of the time had not experienced. Unlike many other people of the time, Franklin takes the time to consider how the Natives feel about their lifestyle

In the same way, in Franklin’s 1725 work of writing, A Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity, Pleasure and Pain, he admitted that he would have liked to be a philosopher, but he knew that he never fully would be. Through this, he showed his outlook on philosophy and ways to embody and contribute to society without making it a career. For example, Franklin’s scientific innovations set a platform that inspired others in the future. Franklin’s writing impacted the era of the Enlightenment in a way no other writer had done because he stated his philosophies with humor but also with meaning (Kennedy). As Wilson stated, Franklin was a, “...symbol and source of inspiration for the philosophers, and one of the most widely admired foreigners in

Benjamin Franklin and Ralph Waldo Emerson propose certain principles for the conduct of life. Franklin is very clear in his proposed principles for life, as he clearly states them in his “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin”. One of his main principles is the concept of hard work. Franklin believes that the best way to succeed in life is to work hard. Hard work is a key element in how to conduct one’s life. Franklin also touches on the idea that religion allows people to live in good conduct in their lives, as it gives people good values they must uphold. This also contributes to the principle that he believes in, which

All these ideas were very much in the air in America and no one represented them better than Benjamin Franklin. With Benjamin Franklin as its spokesman, eighteen-century America experienced an age if enlightenment, of reason and order like England and Europe.

On this comparison essay, we will discover how John Woolman and Benjamin Franklin have low and high moral reasoning in their autobiography. We will also discuss how their religious beliefs differ, and how their contrasting beliefs make them think differently. That is why as we compare their autobiography, we will see what sets two men apart from each other. We should keep in mind that they both had low levels of moral reasoning at a young age. Even so, I found a difference in how they developed their thought.