The Age of Reason in American Culture and Literature

1. The Age of Reason in American Culture and Literature Tomáš Pospíšil

2. Enlightenmennt • Underlying philosophy: rationalism • Life on Earth not a vale of tears; • Emphasis on reason, scientific inquiry, perfectibility of man; • Spirit of optimism

3. Alexander Pope: An Essay on Man, 1734 • “Know then thyself, presume not God to scanThe proper study of Mankind is Man.Placed on this isthmus of a middle state,A Being darkly wise, and rudely great:With too much knowledge for the Sceptic side,With too much weakness for the Stoic's pride,He hangs between; in doubt to act, or rest;In doubt to deem himself a God, or Beast …..

4. Benjamin Franklin • Benjamin Franklin (1706 – 1790) was one of the most important Founding Fathers of the United States. He was a leading author, political theorist, politician, printer, scientist, inventor, civic activist, and diplomat. As a scientist he was a major figure in the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. As a political writer and activist he, more than anyone, invented the idea of an American nation, and as a diplomat during the American Revolution, he secured the French alliance that helped to make independence possible. (Wikipedia)

5. Benjamin Franklin: Letter to Ezra Stiles Philadelphia, March 9, 1790. • You desire to know something of my religion. It is the first time I have been questioned upon it. But I cannot take your curiosity amiss, and shall endeavor in a few words to gratify it. Here is my creed. • I believe in one God, creator of the universe. That he governs it by his Providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable service we render to him is doing good to his other children. That the soul of man is immortal, and will be treated with justice in another life respecting its conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental principles of all sound religion, and I regard them as you do in whatever sect I meet with them.

6. Benjamin Franklin: Letter to Ezra Stiles Philadelphia, March 9, 1790. • As to Jesus of Nazareth, my opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the system of morals, and his religion, as he left them to us, the best the world ever saw or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupting changes, and I have, with most of the present dissenters in England, some doubts as to his divinity; tho’ it is a question I do not dogmatize upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an opportunity of knowing the truth with less trouble. I see no harm, however, in its being believed, if that belief has the good consequence, as it probably has of making his doctrines more respected and better observed; especially as I do not perceive that the Supreme takes it amiss, by distinguishing the unbelievers in his government of the world with any peculiar marks of his displeasure.

7. There is a supreme power This sovereign power must be worshipped That the good ordering of disposition of the faculties of man constitute the principal or best part of divine worship That all vices and crimes should be expiated and effaced by repentance There are rewards after this life Deism

8. Benjamin Franklin Autobiography (1771 – 1790) • It was about this time I conceived the bold and arduous project of arriving at moral perfection. I wished to live without committing any fault any time; I would conquer all that either natural inclination, custom, or company might lead me into. As I knew, or thought I knew, what was right and wrong, I did not see why I might not always do the one and avoid the other. But I soon found I had undertaken a task of more difficulty than I had imagined. While my care was employed in guarding against one fault, I was often surprised by another; habit took the advantage of inattention; inclination was sometimes too strong for reason. I concluded at length, 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. For this purpose I therefore contrived the following method. • In the various enumerations of the moral virtues I had met with in my reading, I found the catalogue more or less numerous, as different writers included more or fewer ideas under the same name. Temperance, for example, was by some confined to eating and drinking, while by others it was extended to mean the moderating every other pleasure, appetite, inclination, or passion, bodily or mental, even to our avarice and ambition. I proposed to myself, for the sake of clearness, to use rather more names, with fewer ideas annexed to each, than a few names with more ideas; and I included under thirteen names of virtues all that at that time occurred to me as necessary or desirable, and annexed to each a short precept, which fully expressed the extent I gave to its meaning. • These names of virtues, with their precepts, were:

9. Benjamin Franklin Autobiography (1771 – 1790) • 1. TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation. • 2. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation. • 3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time. • 4. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve. • 5. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing. • 6. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employed in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions. • 7. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly. • 8. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty. • 9. MODERATION. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve. • I0. CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, clothes, or habitation. • 11. TRANQUILITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable. • 12. CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation. • 13. HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.

10. My intention being to acquire the habitude of all these virtues, I judged 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; and, when I should be master of that, then to proceed to another, and so on, till I should have gone through the thirteen; and, as the previous acquisition of some might facilitate the acquisition of certain others, I arranged them with that view, as they stand above. (….) My list of virtues contained at first but twelve; but a Quaker friend having kindly informed me that I was generally thought proud; that my pride showed itself frequently in conversation; that I was not content with being in the right when discussing any point, but was overbearing, and rather insolent, of which he convinced me by mentioning several instances; I determined endeavoring to cure myself, if I could, of this vice or folly among the rest, and I added Humility to my list, giving an extensive meaning to the word. I cannot boast of much success in acquiring the reality of this virtue, but I had a good deal with regard to the appearance of it. * * * Benjamin Franklin Autobiography (1771 – 1790)

11. Tomas Hobbes Leviathan(1650) Nature of humans: power-seeking, cynical, selfish, depraved Suggested form of government:absolute monarchy,should be deposedif necessary Objective of government: protecting man from his nature John Locke Two Treatises of Government (1690) Nature of humans: instinct for life, liberty and property Suggested form of government: a social contract; a servant; should be deposed if necessary Objective of government: safety, preservation of property Early political patterns: A Strong European Impact

12. THOMAS JEFFERSON:The Declaration of Independence • When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.—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,—That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. [1]. Cf. John Locke, Second Treatise of Government, where he identified natural rights as those to “life, liberty, and estate [property].”

13. THOMAS PAINE (1737 – 1809): • Thomas Paine (Thetford, England, 29 January 1737 – June 1809, New York City, USA) was a pamphleteer, revolutionary, radical, liberal and intellectual. Born in Great Britain, he lived in America, having migrated to the American colonies just in time to take part in the American Revolution, mainly as the author of the powerful, widely read pamphlet, Common Sense (1776), advocating independence for the American Colonies from the Kingdom of Great Britain and of The American Crisis, supporting the Revolution. (Wikipedia)

14. THOMAS PAINE (The American Crisis) • These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem to[o] lightly:—’Tis dearness only that gives everything its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed, if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to) TAX but “to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER”, and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.

15. Philip Morin Freneau(1752 – 1832) • was a notable American poet, nationalist, polemicist, sea captain and newspaper editor. Brackenridge, H. H. (Hugh Henry), 1748-1816 / Freneau, Philip Morin, 1752-1832:   [from A poem, on the rising glory of America (1772)]

16. A poem, on the Rising Glory of America (1772) • 713      This is thy praise America thy pow'r 714      Thou best of climes by science visited 715      By freedom blest and richly stor'd with all 716      The luxuries of life. Hail happy land