Franklin Vs. Emerson Essay, Research Paper
Franklin vs. Emerson
Ben Franklin’s philosophies centered mostly on
Enlightenment ideas. He believed in the value of
individual freedom and that we should not be governed by a
monarchy. Franklin also found that trust in method was the
best thing, because that is the method with which he went
through so that he would become a better writer. He had an
eagerness to expand his knowledge in a quest to learn more.
More weight was placed on the discovery of truth through
the observation of nature, rather than through the study of
the Bible.
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s philosophies were based on the
idea of self-reliance. He would critique the conventional
values of property and ambition. Emerson was known as an
experimenter who urged other Americans to reject their
deference to old modes and values. He spoke to people
about the ideas of creative reading and creative writing,
which would reject the traditional oppositions between
thinking and acting. Emerson is not afraid to do what he
fells necessary regardless of what other people might think
of his actions. On page 1627 he says, “Your genuine action
will explain itself and explain your other genuine
actions.” I believe that he is saying your actions will
speak louder than words. If you do an act of goodness then
people will think that you are kind and thoughtful despite
what they might have heard. On page 1630 he says, “he
dares not say ‘I think,’ ‘I am’, but quotes some saint or
sage.” In this quote it seems that he tries to convince
people that they should not be afraid to say how they
really feel.
The only similarity that I was able to see between
these two men is that the idea that both of them seem to be
a fatherly advice giver. Franklin was very scholarly and a
good leader. The evidence that Emerson might be a fatherly
advice giver as well can be seen in a quote from his essay
entitled “Self-Reliance”. On page 1629 he says, “If I see
a trait, my children will see it after me, and in course of
time, all mankind.” It seems that he is saying that if he
acquires good traits he can pass them on to his children or
that they will pick up on them on their own and pass them
down to their children as well. If his children keep
instilling these valuable traits into their own children
and they pass them on to the next generation, then in time
all of mankind will value the same good traits.