Description
Book SynopsisThis concise introduction reflects Franklin's valuable insight into political issues that continue to be relevant today.
Trade ReviewThis insightful and elegantly written book is a joy to read and highly recommended. Choice 2008 A learned, wise, and well-written account... for giving readers one of the very finest introductions to this remarkable American's thought, we must thank Lorraine Pangle. -- Ralph Ketcham Claremont Review of Books 2008 Smith Pangle... Brings an impressive knowledge of philosophy and Western intellectual traditions. -- Carla Mulford Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography
Table of ContentsNote on Sources
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Earliest Franklin
Franklin, Socrates, and Modern Rationalism
1. The Economic Basis of Liberty
The Weber Critique
The Value of Work
Work, Acquisitiveness, and Nature
A Republican Political Economy
The Meaning of Leisure
2. The Virtuous Citizen
The Ethos of the Merchant
Franklin's Early Thoughts on Virtue and Vice
Franklin's Retreat from His Early Views
The Project for Moral Perfection
Humility, Pride, and Vanity
The Art of Virtue
3. Philanthropy and Civil Associations
Man as a Political Animal
Franklin and Tocqueville on Associations
Franklin's Benevolent Projects
Democratic Leadership
4. Thoughts on Government
The Albany Plan of Union
Of Proprietors and Kings
Statesmanship and Public Relations
Natural Right and Human Opinion
Representation and Federalism
Democratic Diplomacy
The Constitutional Convention
Immigration, Race, and Slavery
5. The Ultimate Questions
Enlightenment and the Adequacy of Reason
The Civic Benefits of Religion
The Defects of Christianity
Toleration and Religious Freedom
The Existence of God
Eros, Death, and Eternity
Notes
Recommended Readings
Index
