Compare And Contrast Benjamin Franklin And The Enlightenment

During a time where people lived and operated strictly within a paradigm established in society, Benjamin Franklin existed harmoniously (and quite successfully) outside the box. In today's world, I feel as though there are hundreds of “Ben Franklins” that live among us; people who come from modest backgrounds yet emerge as trailblazers of their time. Although Franklin was well-versed in many areas of study, I admire him the most as a man of the early American Enlightenment. Why? I believe that his ability to express himself as a forward-thinker is the basis of all of his accomplishments. He organized a group called the “Junto;” a collection of men who would come together and discuss topics of community, philosophy, and the betterment of man