Monday, June 9, 2025

Book Review: Benjamin Franklin, An American Life, by Walter Isaacson

 I initially picked up this because of a comment in one of our Braveco classes, lauding the list of virtues that the young Ben Franklin wrote up as his goal to live by. [The list: Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity and Humility.] The unique aspect of this culturally is that Ben Franklin was raised in a very strict Puritan household. Ben Franklin was not a Puritan, but he was comfortable hanging out with them. Whether he actually had a personal relationship with the Lord is hard to discern; his later actions in life suggest that he attempted to live in accordance with his 13 virtues, and did a great job at presenting a moral and respectable lifestyle. Perhaps we could say he was one of those blessed with the earthly benefits of having extremely godly parents and growing up in a god-respecting society, without actually embracing its core of divine spiritual life through direct connection with God.

The vast majority of the biography covers the major accomplishments of Franklin’s life, which are renowned.

      In colonial America he was the first to initiate a postal system connecting the colonies.

      He ran a printing shop and produced Poor Richard’s Almanac.  He also wrote many letters and flyers under pseudonyms regarding various events and political activities.

      He made three diplomatic trips to Great Britain on behalf of the colonies. These each lasted about five years.

      He made a diplomatic trip to France during the American Revolution, lasting about nine years, and was instrumental in developing the final terms of the peace accord which granted the colonies independence.

      During all of this, he did science. One was his famous experiment of flying a kite in a thunderstorm, which led to the invention of lightning rods. He did many other scientific experiments (he was a tester, not a theoretician).

The book also details the rather sad story of Franklin’s personal life. The wife he was away from for so many years (she refused to travel to Europe). The illegitimate son and illegitimate grandson that he was ultimately estranged from (their decision, not his). The daughter he loved and who remained loyal to him, at tremendous personal cost.

In conclusion, the author points out the connection between Franklin’s detaching his ethos and spirit of industriousness from the rigid Puritan theology, while retaining its benefits for society. This became widely accepted as part of basic American culture. He does not attempt to evaluate whether Franklin’s faith included a personal relationship with a transcendent Christ, as his Puritan upbringing would have taught him.



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