Benjamin Franklin's Virtues and how they reflect Rationalization

          I found Benjamin Franklin’s Virtues to be very helpful, well thought out, and inspiring. Franklin made an outward effort to better himself, and doing something like that takes a lot of courage. He admitted his wrongs, developed a set of virtues in a rational way, and he pledged to live by them, reflecting on them every day. His Virtues and his plan to follow them was rationalistic because he thought them through. He actually took the time to think about what Virtues would improve your life the most, and chose them accordingly. To do something like that is life changing, and I think everyone can learn a thing or two from Ben Franklin                                                                                                                  

          Ben Franklin, from the start, demonstrates a Rationalistic lifestyle. He begins by saying he respects and accepts all religions, and then describes how he chose not to go to church meetings because his preacher only targeted how to live like a Presbyterian, not a good moraled man (Franklin 82). This in itself is a Rationalistic way of life. He acknowledges and respects all religions and is very open, which was a rationalism way, and gets to choose weather not to go to church on his own, which is very rationalistic compared to the Puritan way of life. Because the preacher doesn’t teach morals, he decides to teach himself and take control.  He then chooses 13 Virtues to live by, each with their own logical definitions.                                                                                                                                                                    

         His first few Virtues are Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, and Frugality.  Because Franklin was a rationalist, he believed that there was other ways to do things, and in this case, other ways to  ‘boost your morals’ besides going to church. Rather than go through each one and explain why I think he chose them, I’m first going to say that I believe he chose all his virtues based on reason and experience. Each one could benefit your life if you followed them well. He thought them through and  noted which ones were most important and logical to follow. All were rationalistic, but of the few I mentioned previously, I found Order and Resolution to be the most. Order is rationalistic because it is logical to take control of your life and better yourself by regulating what you do. If you want to be successful in life you must learn to organize it. You have to keep things in their place, make time for everything you do. Franklin understood that. Resolution was rational because it revolves around decision making. You have to make decisions in life in a logical way. Think things through, and if you resolve to do something, DO IT. Do it ‘without fail’ (Franklin 84). That will make your life much easier and smoother.                                               

           The rest of his morals were Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity, and Humility. Again, they were all rational morals, but the ones that stood out to me were Industry and Tranquility.  Industry was the most rationalistic of them all, mainly because it talks about how to spend your time.  It says that you should ‘lose no time’ and do things that are always useful and necessary (Franklin 84). If you’re going to live your life, you need to make sure you are living it to its fullest and in the best way. Rationally, you should only do things that are beneficial to you in the long run. I think Franklin chose this one because he noticed how people spend so much time doing things that don’t help them at all. They waste their time when they could be doing something useful with it. Rationalists were really into that lifestyle because they saw it as a way to live their life to its fullest potential.  My other choice was Tranquility. It related to Industry, except it was more on the ‘don’t waste your breath’ side. If you are going to speak, make it useful. Don’t waste your time getting involved in vain conversations. Talk intellectual to better yourself and your knowledge.                                                              

        I found Franklins method of following his virtues rational too. It was extremely well organized and logical. He didn’t over load himself and even said “I judg’d it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time; and, when I should be master of that, then to proceed to another” (Franklin 85). He chose ones he thought would be easiest to start with, and by mastering that would help him master the following virtue. He really thought it out, and by reflecting on them each night was able to look back and view his progress. He made it so that he could visibly see how his character was shaping in a positive way.                                                                                                

        Overall, his Virtues were well planned, and he chose them all for specific reasons. They were all rational because they were significant things that, if changed in a positive way, could better someone’s life. By developing them on his own, he demonstrated Order because he took control of his character. He made each day count, and asked himself how he’d improved someone else’s life and himself each day. He lived his life in a rational way, and his virtues and the way he followed them demonstrated the Rationalization period.

Franklin, Benjamin. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Philadelphia: Henry Altemus, 1895. Print.