EN 2230 Lecture Notes - Franklin Stove, Geoff Hamilton, Puritans
Document Summary
Lecture 3 mythologies of self-making sept 21. He was a printer, a politician, a postmaster, a diplomat, etc. Known for his role as a founding father. Invented bifocals, flexible catheter, franklin stove, odometer, machine for electrocuting turkeys. He claimed that lightening was like electricity; he claimed that you could control it and use it artificially. Wrote satires, political philosophies and his famous autobiography: does a good job in identifying and summarizing his ideals. As an enlightenment figure, he is challenging the puritan ideals: puritans rely not on reason but on faith, franklin was interested in reason interested in rationalizing his way through life. Mentions that socrates was one of his early heroes: socrates is known for asking questions and pointing out information to people who thought they knew but didn"t know. Franklin is a great representative of american optimism: always emphasize what can be done with human lives, how people can create and recreate themselves.
