Max Mednik
  • Home
  • About
  • Interests
    • Angel investing
    • Magic
    • Scuba Diving
  • Blog
  • Contact

Readings and musings

Notes on Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson

12/5/2012

2 Comments

 
Picture
I really enjoyed Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs and Einstein biographies, so I was excited to complete the series by reading Benjamin Franklin: An American Life.

I love science, so I was interested in learning more about Franklin's scientific pursuits. While the book did go into lots of details about his experiments and discoveries, well over half of the book was devoted to his political accomplishments (which were of course enormous as well). Thus, I enjoyed Isaacson's other two books a bit more than this one, but it was more because of subject matter differences.

My favorite parts of this book actually were the little details and stories that revealed Franklin's inner character and humor, like his mock proposals to study farts and the way he would flirt with young women at age 70+. He was above all a pragmatic, worldly, reality-based person who focused on enjoying this life and contributing as much as possible while being his best self, and that part of the story appealed to me greatly.

This biography reminded me of Neal Stephenson's fictional account of a similar time period in history in Quicksilver. Both Stephenson's and Isaacson's books made the history come alive through stories and personal details of the characters' lives; something that was really missing from my formal history classes in high school. I really enjoyed how Isaacson analyzed Franklin's letters and writings, even the secret ones, and I was extremely impressed at how people were able to communicate so effectively and eloquently back then without email.

Scientist
Inventor
Business strategist
Continually reinvented self
Helped craft all founding docs

1 Ben franklin and invention of America
Arrival in America
Self-deprecation
Founding father who winks
Ruling class of middle class and ordinary
Protestant ethic separate from dogma
American identity
Self improvement ethic and virtues
How does one live moral life

2 pilgrim's progress, Boston
Puritan migration
Free thought and free enterprise
Public virtue and private profit
Lots of children by parents
Ben made himself swimming gear to swim faster
Made himself kite
Frugality
Engrossing intellectual discussions at dinners
Fish and guests stink after 3 days

Education
Transcribed sermons in his own shorthand
No formal education, just writing and math (failed math)
Became more practical, variety of interests

Apprentice
Tinkerer
Newspaper
Defoe progress
Wrote anonymous essays
Aversion to hereditary titles
Runaway

Ch 3 journeymen, London
Vegetarian to save money for books
Philadelphia
Don't carry head too high
Lessons about rivalry, resentment, pride
Learned self deprecating humor

Calvinism and deism
Reason and studying nature, deism, vs simple faith

Fascinated by swimming
Book: the art of swimming
Made himself paddles
Laid out his own pragmatic credos to not confuse his life
To live like rational creature
Be frugal
Speak truth and sincerity
Apply self industriously
Speak Ill of no men
Scientific curiosity
Philadelphia
Man as social creature

Ch 4 printer, Philadelphia
Shop of his own
Created his own font: Franklin gothic
Apostle of industriousness
Formed the junto club of young tradesmen
Love mankind in general
Pursue truth for own sake
Ben Franklin, printer (title for life)
Mock debates
Soft, Socratic queries
Feign naive curiosity
14 possible topics of importance for junto discussions
Mutual benefits for self and society

Busy body essays
Wanted his own content and distribution network in addition to printing
Built media conglomerate
First gossip column
Newspaper wars
Apology for printers essay for free speech
Print both sides of story and truth wins out over error
Exercise discretion in what printed when could be damaging
Foolish to avoid criticism
Sexual and moral advice columns
Crime and sex stories sell
First Tabloid

Practical marriage
Developed pro con method for making decisions
Keep eyes open before marriage and half shut during

William
Illegitimate child (later would be 3 generations of illegitimate children)

Francis
Second child
Smallpox vaccinations
Belief in faith without dogma
Evaluate religions by their utility
Religious tolerance

Moral perfection project
List of 12 virtues
Practical democratic selfish

Enlightenment creed
Age of reason

Poor Richards almanac
Doing well by doing good
Follies of everyday life
Good source of revenue for printer
Created many pseudonyms for writing

Ch 5 public citizen, Philadelphia
Organizations for common good
Lending library, hospital, fire station
Individualism and community interwoven
Don't claim credit if want to get support of others

Freemasons

American philosophical society

Philadelphia militia
Separate from British colony government
Colonies can accomplish more through unions
Retired at age 42

Ch 6 scientist and inventor
Storms and catheters
Science of weather prediction
Stoves and chimneys
Magician inspired him to study electricity
Lightning experiment
Kite flying
Conservation of charge, single fluid
Insulators, conductors, batteries, capacitors, grounding, lightning rods
Practical experimenter, less theoretician

Ch 7 politician
Educational reformer
Created u penn, first non sectarian college
Raised money for hospital
Created idea of matching grant
Magic squares 

American political philosophy
Volunteerism
Public, private partnerships
Non ideological
Interested in finding out what works
Hated establishment authority, class systems
Middling class
Vision of America of people rising based on their industriousness
Opportunities for all to succeed

Slavery
Changed to abolitionist

Began political career in assembly
Reformed post office
Colonial cooperation
Snake cut into pieces cartoon
Federalism concept

Catherine Rey

Became colonel

8 troubled waters, london

9 home

10 agent provacateur
Stamp act
Boycott English goods
Wrote with pseudonym
join or die cartoon
Loyalist and American
Fight against British taxes and parliament control


11 rebel
Scientific mAgic tricks
Calming water with oil from cane
People having 6-17 kids
Wrote autobiography
Wanted girls to learn accounting

More science
Oil to calm ship waters 
Size of molecule
Source of colds
Linking exercise to calories or heat
Lead poisoning 
Ships in canals
harmonica invention

Trickle down economics
But also common good

Tariff on tea

Tried to negotiate peace


12 independence
Choosing sides

Voluntary taxes to pay for truth
Colonies had to band together
Wrote first articles of confederation
Created first paper currency
First postmaster
Willingness to be involved in practical details even at age 70
Made edits to declaration of independence
Trip to Paris to get French help for revolution


13 courtier
Worlds most famous American
Realism and idealism
Spies
Greatest diplomatic victory


14 Bon vivant
Voltaire
Uncomfortable with deep emotional bonds
Love letters written with stories, public playfulness
Half serious flirtatious at age 70
Epeherma, flies, Elysian fields bagatelles/stories he wrote
Gout
Chess games, not enough exercise
Translated across languages and got corrections from friends
Imperfect grammar

Chess and farts
Morals of chess
Metaphor for diplomacy and life
Invented daylight savings time
Mock scientific proposal to study farts
Invention of fart perfume (farce)


15 peacemaker
Negotiated with Britain peace
Negotiated with France for multiple loans throughout
Never was a good war or bad peace
Invented bifocal glasses


Ch 16 sage
Drafting constitution
Debates over congressional representation by population vs by state
Authored compromise
Evil of presumed infallibility
Kidney stones and gout
Anti slavery last effort
Jefferson was successor to him in promoting reason, tolerance


17 epilogue

18 conclusions
Patron saint of self help movement
American common sense
More flirting than commitment
Less like his autobiography
Gave up public salary
Pragmatism
Disentangling morality from theology
Snatched lightning from sky and scepter from tyrants

2 Comments
read more link
8/8/2013 06:35:27 pm

I was preparing an assignment on Benjamin Franklin and came across this informative article. I think Walter had made this article very interesting to read. All the information which was provided here was very useful for my assignment.

Reply
ABWE link
8/28/2013 11:48:14 pm

This is a best example for amazing writing. I am stunned when i am reading line by line.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    January 2022
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010

    Categories

    All
    Angel Investing
    Cacti
    Cars
    China
    Community Service
    Culture
    Design
    Djing
    Dogs
    Education
    Entertainment
    Entrepreneurship
    Family
    Finance
    Food
    Google
    Happiness
    Incentives
    Investment Banking
    Judaism
    Law
    Lighting
    Magic
    Marketing
    Medicine
    Networking
    Nolabound
    Philosophy
    Professionalism
    Psychology
    Reading
    Real Estate
    Religion
    Romance
    Sales
    Science
    Shangri-La
    Social Entrepreneurship
    Social Media
    Sports
    Teams
    Technology
    Travel
    Turtles
    Ucla
    Venture Capital
    Web Services
    Weddings
    Zen

    Subscribe

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
  • Home
  • About
  • Interests
    • Angel investing
    • Magic
    • Scuba Diving
  • Blog
  • Contact