Does Franklin follow some of Aristotles main concepts? Can you see Christian influences on his thinking? Why did Franklin pick these particular virtues and put them in this particular order?

Discussion #7

Length: at least 500 words
Content: In addition to being a famous inventor and one of the Founding Fathers who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, Benjamin Franklin was an eclectic thinker and an unorthodox moral philosopher. He tried combine what he considered to be the best parts of Greek and Christian moral beliefs in his own system of ethics. The list below provides an excerpt from Autobiography published after his death in 1791. Review Franklins list of virtues and his explanations. Does Franklin follow some of Aristotles main concepts? Can you see Christian influences on his thinking? Why did Franklin pick these particular virtues and put them in this particular order? What was important to him and why? If you were to rearrange Franklins list of virtues, what order would you use and why? If you were asked to add or remove any virtues from the list, which ones would you pick and why? Explain and defend your point of view.
Use at least 2 quotes from the excerpts below to support your ideas. Make sure to put any quoted material in .
Benjamin Franklins List of Virtues
1. Temperance: Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. Silence: Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. Order: Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. Resolution: Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. Frugality: Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself, i.e., waste nothing.
6. Industry: Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. Sincerity: Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. Justice: Wrong none by doing injuries or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. Moderation: Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. Cleanliness: Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation.
11. Tranquility: Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. Chastity: Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
13. Humility: Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
Benjamin Franklins Explanation of His Method
My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues, I judged 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, and so on, till I should have gone thro’ the thirteen; and, as the previous acquisition of some might facilitate the acquisition of certain others, I arranged them with that view, as they stand above. Temperance first, as it tends to procure that coolness and clearness of head which is so necessary where constant vigilance was to be kept up, and guard maintained against the unremitting attraction of ancient habits and the force of perpetual temptations. This being acquired and established, Silence would be more easy; and my desire being to gain knowledge at the same time that I improved in virtue, and considering that in conversation it was obtained rather by the use of the ears than of the tongue, and therefore wishing to break a habit I was getting into prattling, punning, and joking, which only made me acceptable to trifling company, I gave Silence the second place. This and the next, Order, I expected would allow me more time for attending to my project and my studies. Resolution, once because habitual, would keep me firm in my endeavors to obtain all the subsequent virtues; Frugality and Industry, freeing me from my remaining debt, and producing affluence and independence, would make more easy the practice of Sincerity and Justice, etc.,
*For a full text of page 38 from Autobiography, see Franklins Autobiography under External Resources.
Sources: You do not need to do any research for this assignment: use your own ideas and examples from the assigned readings. You may also use any information provided under External Resources. If you have questions about additional source use, contact me. Do not take ANY information from Internet sites such as Wikipedia, Answers.com, ProCon.org, etc., and present it as your own response. This will be considered plagiarism. Plagiarism is a serious offense that can result in a failing grade for the course (syllabus policy).
MLA format: Put all quoted material in . Work(s) Cited page is not needed for discussion assignments. Use in-text citations.

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