Recovering Benjamin Franklin

James Campbell

We see his face on stamps, coins, and currency, and repeat his witty aphorisms, but few of us understand Ben Franklin's substantial influence on early American philosophy. In Recovering Benjamin Franklin, James Campbell explores Franklin's extraordinary place in American history, laying out his contributions to science, religion, morality, politics, and philosophy. He emphasizes Franklin's vision of the social good: the need for institutions and structures to organize human cooperation, his advocacy of cooperation, education, and religious tolerance, and his assertion of the superiority of the simple life of the new American democracy.

Campbell paints a unique portrait of Franklin, arguing that he was not only a creative inventor, insightful humorist, and skillful ambassador-but also an influential early member of the Pragmatist movement.

"Campbell's learned, balanced, and informative book is the first to do justice to Franklin as a philosopher. The splendid portrait it paints leaves one in awe of Franklin's intellect and deeply appreciative of Campbell's vivid account of it."
—John Lachs
Vanderbilt University

"At last, an impeccably researched, thoughtfully and cogently presented version of the work and person of Benjamin Franklin as an organizing thinker in the American tradition of philosophical pragmatism."
—John McDermott
Texas A&M University