Benjamin Franklin's Virtues vs. Puritan Ethics Compared
This essay examines the ethical similarities and differences between Benjamin Franklin's self-described thirteen virtues and the moral code of the Puritans. While both traditions emphasize hard work, frugality, temperance, and clean living, the Puritans grounded their ethics in strict religious doctrine aimed at salvation, whereas Franklin adapted these virtues into a practical, naturalistic framework suited to worldly success and spiritual growth. Drawing on Franklin's Autobiography and primary Puritan sources, the essay argues that Franklin built upon but deliberately departed from Puritan thought, creating an ethical system that could function in the real world without abandoning moral or spiritual ambition.
- Introduction: Thesis framing Franklin's divergence from Puritan ethics
- Puritan Ethics and Virtuous Living: Puritan beliefs, sin, and religious duty
- Franklin's Thirteen Virtues: Franklin's practical, worldly ethical framework
- Comparing Franklin and Puritan Moral Codes: Shared values but different moral foundations
- Conclusion: Franklin adapted Puritan ethics to naturalistic ends
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What makes this paper effective
- It sets up a clear comparative thesis in the introduction, identifying both similarities and meaningful differences between Franklin and Puritan ethics rather than overstating one side.
- It grounds claims in primary and scholarly sources — Franklin's own Autobiography, a Puritan sermon collection, and a scholarly monograph on Franklin's theology — lending credibility to its argument.
- The paper maintains a consistent analytical thread: both traditions share surface-level virtues, but differ fundamentally in purpose and philosophical grounding.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of comparative analysis. Rather than treating Franklin and the Puritans as entirely separate topics, the author systematically identifies shared values (hard work, frugality, temperance) before pivoting to the crucial divergence in motivation and philosophical foundation. This structure — similarity first, then distinction — is a reliable technique for comparative essays in intellectual history and ethics.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens with a thesis-driven introduction that frames the comparison. It then provides background on Puritan beliefs, followed by a focused overview of Franklin's thirteen virtues. The fourth section performs the direct comparison, integrating a scholarly quotation to reinforce the naturalistic-versus-religious distinction. The essay concludes by restating the core argument. At roughly 500 words, it is a compact but complete analytical essay appropriate for undergraduate-level work.
Introduction
There were many different aspects to Benjamin Franklin's character, and while many Americans like to concentrate on his more worldly endeavors, his ethical beliefs were a very important part of his life. In fact, Franklin listed thirteen virtues in his autobiography which he found instrumental in becoming a moral and honorable person. It is interesting to note that Franklin's list of virtues bears remarkable similarities to Puritan beliefs and virtues. Yet while there are similarities between Franklin's self-professed virtues and those of the Puritans, Franklin was not simply parroting Puritan thought — there are also a great many differences between the two. An examination of the two codes of ethics demonstrates that while Franklin's code may well be based on the Puritan code, he diverted from a strict religiously grounded ethical system toward a more practical system rooted in the natural world and its natural laws. While the Puritans concentrated their efforts on the religious dimensions of virtue, Franklin believed these virtues could be applied to a more worldly arena.
References
Franklin, Benjamin, and John Bigelow. (1909). The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. New York: Collier & Son. Retrieved from Googlebooks.com.
Johnson, Thomas, and Perry Miller. (2001). The Puritans: A Sourcebook of Their Writings. Mineola, NY: Dover. Print.
Walters, Kerry. (1999). Benjamin Franklin and His Gods. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. Print.
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