Why Is Benjamin Franklin's Added To Happiness

”What can be added to the happiness of the man who is in health, who is out of debt, and has a clear conscience?” Adam Smith states the foundations of a happy society. In other words, national welfare is built upon public health system, economic prosperity, and general education. These keys claims advocated by Adam Smith serves to be the building block of the early American prosperity. Another great funding father of America, Benjamin Franklin, also proposes similar ideas on general welfare. With his pioneering perspectives of social institution and education, Philadelphia was able become one of the most important cities in America history. These great individuals both propose that, in long run, welfare will lead to economy growth, and thus
“The good education… as the surest Foundation of the Happiness both of private Families and of Common-wealths. Almost all Governments have… to establish and endow with proper Revenues,” Franklin believes that education provides wealth and happiness to the society, and he claims that the government initiate and invest in public education and make it the “principal of Object of their attention.” He starts with forming a mutual improvement club called Junto. By requiring every member to research and observe wide range of topics each week, Junto became the first liberal art education organization at the period. Since Franklin established the American Philosophical Society in 1744, he had helped pioneer many of Philadelphia’s institutions including the city’s first public library. During the next three decades, Franklin started City Watch, which organized teams of constables patrolling neighborhoods at night, to provide greater security against
In 1759 Smith published The Theory of Moral Sentiments, a book whose main contention is that human morality depends on sympathy between the individual and other members of society. “[W]hatever may be the caufe of fympathy, or however it may be excited, nothing pleafes us more than to obferce in other men a fellow-feeling with all the emotions of our own breaft,” Smith introduces the idea of mutual sympathy. According to Smith, humans have a natural tendency to care about the well-being of others for no other reason than the pleasure one gets from seeing them happy. General welfare becomes one of the key foundation in his works. The Theory of Moral Sentiments later provides underpinnings to Adam Smith’s later great work: The Wealth of Nations, which introduce the concept of capitalism based on the assumption on his productivity optimization theory on common welfare and economy growth. As he explain in The Wealth of Nations, some government subsidy of education was needed so that “even the common labourer may afford it.” In addition, in favor of a capitalism economy, Smith suggests that the responsibility of the government being limited to the defense of the nation, universal education, public works, the enforcement of legal rights, and the punishment of crime. Like Franklin, Smith also advocates the importance of public education