Ben Franklin: Homo Economicus

1
Ben Franklin Homo Economicus
2
Inventing a Self

• Rags to Riches Story
• Self-Creation, Self-Invention
• Self in the Making

3
Declaration of Independence

• We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all
  men are created equal, that they are endowed by
  their Creator with certain unalienable Rights,
  that among these are Life, Liberty and the
  pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these
  rights, Governments are instituted among Men,
  deriving their just powers from the consent of
  the governed

4
Points to Consider

• Self-Evident Truths
• How self evident are these truths?
• Inalienable Rights
• If they are inalienable, why are colonists
  claiming to have been alienated from these
  rights?
• Governments rule through consent
• Who decides when consent is to be withdrawn?

5
Declaration of Independence

• We, therefore, the Representatives of the United
  States of America, in General Congress,
  Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the
  world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in
  the Name, and by Authority of the good People of
  these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare,
  That these United Colonies are, and of Right
  ought to be Free and Independent States, that
  they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the
  British Crown, and that all political connection
  between them and the State of Great Britain, is
  and ought to be totally dissolved

6
More Points

• Document declares the colonies to be no longer
  colonies of Great Britain
• are and ought document simultaneously claims
  the colonies to be self-governing, and that they
  ought to be so
• On whose authority is this claim being made?
• Can a written or spoken claim make it so?

7
The Drama of Self-Invention

• Both Franklin and the Declaration describe an
  entity they themselves created.
• Franklin understands himself to be an authored
  text
• Declaration authors The United States of America

8
Ben Franklin as Text

• Wants to correct his faults (3)
• Draws attention to his Errata (21,42)
• Believes they can be corrected (62,67)
• Moral self-correctionediting himself
• Daily Schedulebecoming the text

9
Virtue and Character

• Virtue appearance of virtue as important as its
  practice
• Table of Virtues self-denial as the path to
  virtuous self-interest
• Character the real person the actual self
• Character not necessarily visible

10
Ben Franklin and

• From nothing to somethine
• Debt-Credit Relations
• Debtobligation to another
• Creditobligation to Ben Franklin
• Credit is symbolicBF credited with a good
  character
• Credit as Problemyou must make good on the
  credit people give you.