Journal #6

Journal #6

From Ben Franklin’s The Autobiography (p. 80 – 83)

1. Explain what was involved in Franklin’s plan for self-perfection?   What conclusion did Franklin come to regarding the effectiveness of this plan?

            In Franklin’s plan he came up with thirteen virtues that are important for someone to live by in order to improve yourself as a person. The virtues were temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. He made a little book which he put each of the virtues. Franklin wanted to spend a week practicing one virtue at a time and making it perfection. He marked with a little black dot for every fault that he found he did. It was a thirteen week process in which by the end he would have lived a perfect and happy life. The conclusion that Franklin came to was that even though he couldn’t get passed order because he would need more balance in his life, he was still a better and happier man than he otherwise should have been.

2. Do you feel that a plan such as Franklin’s would improve you as a person?  Why or why not?  What would be your top five virtues? 

            I think that Franklin’s virtues would improve me as a person because it would improve anyone. Although I probably wouldn’t improve myself on these virtues because of laziness and lack of interest they are a good way of making you a better person. My top five virtues are temperance because balance in life is important, silence because talking only when important is a great quality to have, resolution because it’s important to resolve things, sincerity because any good person has sincerity, and cleanliness because it is important to take care of your body.