Analysis - "Arriving at Perfection"
In Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, an essay, "Arriving at Perfection," details Franklin's dedication to the principles of self-betterment. The text chronicles Franklin's attempts to become a better person by systematically attacking and improving upon 13 designated aspects of human nature. Each week, Franklin would tackle a new virtue, noting his attempts in a book. In this essay, Franklin means to demonstrate the mistake in believing that one can attain true perfection; it will always be out of the reach of mankind. However, in making the attempt, people can make reasonable improvements on themselves and their character.
The impetus for this came from Franklin's desire to be as perfect as possible. "I wish'd to live without committing any fault at any time; I would conquer all that either natural inclination, custom, or company might lead me into" (Franklin, 1793). He wanted to overcome the bad habits, bad people and terrible traditions that would lead him into doing wrong by himself or toward others. Simply trying to handle bad habits as they came, Franklin soon came to the conclusion that "the mere speculative conviction that it was our interest to be completely virtuous, was not sufficient to prevent our slipping; and that the contrary habits must be broken, and good ones acquired and established, before we can have any dependence on a steady, uniform rectitude of conduct." In other words, merely trying to do good in a general sense is impossible, since many of our faults come from bad habits and recurring behavior that we might not even notice. With this in mind. Franklin chose to take dramatic measures to fix these aspects of his character.
In order to take a systematic approach to conquering moral imperfection, Franklin studied and came up with thirteen virtues that he would focus on. These virtues included Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chastity and Humility. Franklin decided that all of these things needed to be accomplished and performed without fault in order to create a morally perfect human being. In essence, these virtues can cause someone to be a forthright, patient, kind and morally superior person, and all men must strive to meet these goals.
As Franklin pursued his own improvement of these goals, he felt as though taking them one at a time would be most beneficial. "My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues, I judg'd it would be well not to distract my attention by attempting the whole at once, but to fix it on one of them at a time" (Franklin, 1793). He would spend one week focusing on one specific virtue, marking in a columned notebook all the times in which he betrayed that principle. He attempted to place them in an order that would help him - for instance, Temperance came first, as mastering that would give him the tools to master the other virtues. His thoughts seemed to be, in creating the notebook and marking his progress, to add accountability and the rewards that come with diligence as an incentive for becoming a better moral person.
Of all of the thirteen virtues, Franklin found Order the hardest to keep. "I had not been early accustomed to it, and, having an exceeding good memory, I was not so sensible of the inconvenience attending want of method" (Franklin, 1793). Franklin found that his memory was too good to really make working on Order necessary; this made him frustrated at times, as his mind worked in a fundamentally different way so as to make the kind of Order he proposed not pertinent to him.
At the end of the trial, he came to the conclusion, which is the point of the essay, that he could not correct all of his faults, Order most specifically. He kept trying, and he made substantial progress in many of them, but ultimately could not achieve the moral perfection he sought. This aspect brings him solace however; "on the whole, tho' I never arrived at the perfection I had been so ambitious of obtaining, but fell far short of it, yet I was, by the endeavour, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it" (Franklin, 1793). His endeavor, while a failure, was not wholly without merit, as he became a better person.
Benjamin Franklin's attempt to achieve moral perfection is one of the most systematic attempts to create a moral system that downplays religion in favor of behavior. While Humility (the honoring of God) is certainly one of them, it was the last one he worked on. Instead, he wanted to correct aspects of behavior and character first, as those pertain most directly with the way in which he interacted with his world. It is indicative of the perfectionism that Franklin always seeks to achieve that he put forth such an admirable effort towards bettering himself. Franklin's emphasis on such secular ideals as patience and kindness showcases an Enlightenment-era focus, emphasizing reason and progress over anything else.
In conclusion, Benjamin Franklin happened upon a legitimate and detailed attempt to make himself into as perfect of a moral being as he could achieve. Despite taking such a systematic approach to moral perfection, he recognized that perfection cannot be attained by human beings. However, since he did his best to improve himself, he feels better about having tried. This is an approach that should be considered quite admirable for anyone who wishes to better themselves, and Franklin's strategy should be looked at as a template for that kind of effort. Self-examination is a preeminently American ideal, though it is absolutely present in all other cultures; Franklin's approach to the project demonstrates those principles of logic and reason as a means for making oneself the best person they can be.
Works Cited
Franklin, Benjamin. "Arrival at Perfection." in The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. London: J. Parsons, 1793. Print.
