The Political Philosophy of Benjamin Franklin Book

Note on Sources     ix
Acknowledgments     xi
Introduction     1
The Earliest Franklin
Franklin, Socrates, and Modern Rationalism
The Economic Basis of Liberty     15
The Weber Critique
The Value of Work
Work, Acquisitiveness, and Nature
A Republican Political Economy
The Meaning of Leisure
The Virtuous Citizen     49
The Ethos of the Merchant
Franklin's Early Thoughts on Virtue and Vice
Franklin's Retreat from His Early Views
The Project for Moral Perfection
Humility, Pride, and Vanity
The Art of Virtue
Philanthropy and Civil Associations     91
Man as a Political Animal
Franklin and Tocqueville on Associations
Franklin's Benevolent Projects
Democratic Leadership
Thoughts on Government     127
The Albany Plan of Union
Of Proprietors and Kings
Statesmanship and Public Relations
Natural Right and Human Opinion
Representation and Federalism
Democratic Diplomacy
The Constitutional Convention
Immigration, Race, and Slavery
The Ultimate Questions     185
Enlightenment and the Adequacy of Reason
The Civic Benefits of Religion
The Defects of Christianity
Toleration and Religions Freedom
The Existence of God
Eros, Death, and Eternity
Notes     225
Recommended Readings     263
Index     265