Benjamin Franklin

Would you agree or disagree with this statement: 

Ben Franklin’s ideas about virtue are the antithesis of the ideas about wilderness

that we have discussed in regards to the other readings. 

Use at least three quotes or specific examples from the text to back up your ideas. 

 

 

I have to say that I do agree that Benjamin Franklin's ideas about virtue are the antithesis of the ideas about wilderness that we discuss. Benjamin Franklin has a mind set of wanting everything to be perfect and in order. Everyone should have a set of guidelines to follow. He states, "It was about this time that I conceiv'd the bold and ardous Project of arriving at moral Perfection. I wish'd to live without committing any fault at anytime; I would conquer all that either Natural Inclination, Custom, or company might lead me into." To have such perfection would mean that you have someone who set it, and that is not being free. To be wild and have the wilderness we speak on would be to have no guidelines. To live how you wish, and to experience things that may not be perfect. The whole idea of the 13 virtues goes against the wilderness we speak on. We speak of living a life free and full of adventure. If you have to go through a list of things to perfect youself to a society's standard that is being a slave to society. Franklin says, "My intention being to acquire the Habitude of all these virtues, 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, and so on till I should have thro' the thirteen." These virtues have you following strict guidelines which completely go against our idea of wilderness.  I also believe that when living in wilderness you are suppose to make mistakes and not regret them, but learn from those mistakes. Franklin seems to be ashamed if he makes mistakes, "I mark'd my Faults with a black Lead Pencil, which Marks I could easily wipe out with a wet sponge." To regret your mistakes would be to have done something wrong and in the wilderness anything goes. You have the freedom to make mistakes and lean from them not to be ashamed and regret them.