Benjamin Franklin Justification

In his Autobiography, Benjamin Franklin stated, “So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do.” By this, Franklin meant that reasoning enables people to justify all of their actions. Justification, in this case, is rationalization. In his Autobiography, Franklin writes about his being a vegetarian, due to the reason that killing animals, fish in this instance, was unprovoked murder and therefore he would not eat them. However, when he smelt fish cooking, he remembered how he used to love fish, and he had a desire to eat it after he had smelt it. Franklin describes this inner conflict as having to balance “principle and inclination.” He then justified his desire for the fish with fairly sound reasoning. He writes that if fish can eat other fish, it is okay that he eats the fish that he desired so much. Both of Franklin’s actions can be justified by using proportionate reasoning and logic. His reasons for both eating fish and not eating fish were justified to him with his reasoning in both cases. This therefore proves and validated his assertions about one’s ability to justify one’s actions through reasoning. Franklin’s assertions can be proved in many other historical events and aspects of society, most notable being slavery in the United States, tax evasions, and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Slavery is something that existed for many, many years around the world