
Benjamin Franklin's 13 virtues - ColinWright
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin#Thirteen_Virtues
======
expralitemonk
Ben Franklin was a hacker god. He visited Europe by ship and instead of
curling up with a book on deck, he grabbed a thermometer and a notebook and
discovered the Gulf Stream.

~~~
narag
But did he invented something to slay vampires?

Seriously, I'm amazed at the width of his accomplishments. Maybe, tt would be
difficult for someone today to significantly contribute to so many fields.
Even in a relatively new profession like CS, we tend to specialize.

~~~
expralitemonk
Part of Franklin's success was his ability to focus on big problems instead of
using his energies gambling, drinking, or wenching. Franklin's moral
principles had nothing to do with being holier-than-thou. He wanted a life of
meaning, and his moral code was the means to the end: a life as a world-famous
scientist, businessman, author, and diplomat.

His autobiography explains his motivations (a wonderful book):
<http://www.gutenberg.org/files/148/148.txt>

Edit: Men like Franklin see their moral code as a tool to get from point A (a
humdrum life) to point B (a life of significance.) Today we see a moral code
as some kind of legal document and look for violations. _Aha! I see that you
violated Section B Paragraph 5 "No wenching during business hours."_

~~~
dhimes
I was under the impression that he was a rather lusty wencher, at least in his
youth.

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phren0logy
Just a thought: The modern vilification of hypocrisy strikes me as a step
backward in one way - it makes people feel bad about having high ideals they
can't always meet.

~~~
daeken
My favorite quote from The Diamond Age is relevant:

> You know, when I was a young man, hypocrisy was deemed the worst of vices,”
> Finkle-McGraw said. “It was all because of moral relativism. You see, in
> that sort of a climate, you are not allowed to criticise others-after all,
> if there is no absolute right and wrong, then what grounds is there for
> criticism? … Now, this led to a good deal of general frustration, for people
> are naturally censorious and love nothing better than to criticise others’
> shortcomings. And so it was that they seized on hypocrisy and elevated it
> from a ubiquitous peccadillo into the monarch of all vices. For, you see,
> even if there is no right and wrong, you can find grounds to criticise
> another person by contrasting what he has espoused with what he has actually
> done. In this case, you are not making any judgment whatsoever as to the
> correctness of his views or the morality of his behaviour-you are merely
> pointing out that he has said one thing and done another. Virtually all
> political discourse in the days of my youth was devoted to the ferreting out
> of hypocrisy.

~~~
dredmorbius
Thanks. Love that line.

It also captures one of the (IMO) underappreciated elements of Stephenson: he
takes up technology, but is hugely interested in how it interacts with both
individuals and society at large.

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rodly
Only one I disagree with is #12, "Chastity. Rarely use venery but for health
or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or
another's peace or reputation.", this is breaking his own moderation virtue
and is heavily motivated by social pressures on sex.

~~~
colmvp
Maybe he learned something after frequenting brothels
([http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/20...](http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2009/03/were_there_sex_shops_in_the_time_of_george_washington.html))
and siring an illegitimate son in his youth
(<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Franklin>).

~~~
keppy
He always had high ideas about chastity but seldom followed them. In my mind
Franklin has always embodied "Do as I say, not as I do"--almost in a
mischievous or humorous way. I think he did learn from his actions, but not in
the same way we usually think of someone "learning" from their actions. He
always knew the right answers but preferred to have a little fun.

------
tomrod
>"Silence. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling
conversation."

I disagree with this one. Small talk can lead to big happenings, and have many
times in my life.

That being said, I'd modify it to: Focus. Avoid multitasking so as to not do
multiple things poorly.

~~~
ralfd
I thought the same. Even if Franklin was not a puritanic protestant, I guess a
bit of strict ethics rubbed off.

Also these "Top 10 of best virtues ever!!1" were always constructed by male
philosophers and lack stuff like "Sociability, "Care", "Empathy" or
"Compassion".

~~~
gizzlon
Sure, men in general probably have a greater tendency towards other virtues,
but do you really mean to imply that men often lack stuff like "Sociability,
"Care", "Empathy" and "Compassion" ?

Didn't a lot of "the big ones" talk about love? I think that encapsulates
those values.

~~~
saraid216
> Didn't a lot of "the big ones" talk about love? I think that encapsulates
> those values.

Interestingly, "the big ones" tend not to be classified as philosophers.

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dkhenry
Reminds me of the Greek Cardinal Virtues[1] , or The Resolutions of Johnathon
Edwards[2]. It seems that is modern society we have failed to explicitly pass
the importance of these kind of character qualities to our kids.

1\. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_virtues> 2\.
[http://www.apuritansmind.com/the-christian-walk/jonathan-
edw...](http://www.apuritansmind.com/the-christian-walk/jonathan-edwards-
resolutions/)

~~~
mike-cardwell
Why do you think we've failed in this respect? People always automatically
assume that things were better in the past and that the current generation is
ruining things.

Maybe we're succeeding at passing on these character qualities to our kids at
a higher rate than at any time in the past? There were thieves and liars and
murderers and lazy people and scum bags 200 years ago too.

~~~
batista
> _Maybe we're succeeding at passing on these character qualities to our kids
> at a higher rate than at any time in the past?_

Not judging by the behaviour people one sees in any major city, or their kids,
compared to historical norms of behaviour one can read about in history books.

One small example: attitude and rudeness like you see today from high-
schoolers, would be totally unfathomable in a 1930 or 1950's school.

> _There were thieves and liars and murderers and lazy people and scum bags
> 200 years ago too._

Sure. That doesn't mean societies are stationary. They change with the
prevalent motives of the era, the changed ethical norms, the economic and
political situation, etc.

~~~
yummyfajitas
On the other hand, the attitude and cruelty (e.g.,beatings) you would
routinely see from high school teachers is also totally unfathomable in 2012.

~~~
batista
Yeah, and maybe that's the problem. The lack of the same attitude, I mean, not
the beatings. As in:

[http://ideas.time.com/2012/02/10/why-american-kids-are-
brats...](http://ideas.time.com/2012/02/10/why-american-kids-are-brats/)

et al.

------
oofabz
If you like these you might also enjoy my rules of life:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Foobaz>

~~~
asparagui
you need an addendum about awesome shirts :3

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SonicSoul
i have a document that i've compiled over the years, that i try to look over
every morning. It has a list of quotes/maxims and daily habits.

tried publishing it out:
[https://writer.zoho.com/public/07e664bb675348bd84c355190c36c...](https://writer.zoho.com/public/07e664bb675348bd84c355190c36ccd0eefbdb46d8980235f0472b7c5d0f4e9a)

funny but i forgot i had Ben's 13 already added :) i guess it doesn't work if
it gets too big for a daily brief.

~~~
billswift
My Quotes and Aphorisms file is over a megabyte, it's been growing for 16
years. I formatted it so that the fortune-cookie program can pull up quotes at
random, or I can search it with various keywords whenever I want.

------
ygmelnikova
Franklin was a prodigious inventor. Among his many creations were the
lightning rod, glass armonica (a glass instrument, not to be confused with the
metal harmonica), Franklin stove, bifocal glasses and the flexible urinary
catheter. Franklin never patented his inventions; in his autobiography he
wrote, "... as we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we
should be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours; and
this we should do freely and generously." -- Wikipedia

