A Comparison Of American Purritanism And The Age Of Reason

Martin Luther King Jr. once stated, “Every man lives in two realms: the internal and external. The internal is that realm of spiritual ends expressed in art, literature, morals, and religion. The external is that complex of devices, techniques, mechanisms, and instrumentalities by means of which we live.” MLK describes the concept that mankind has two different outlooks on life, including the idea that men perceive life morally and scientifically. It is rare for people to harmonize the two different views on life. Although this is something that Benjamin Franklin subconsciously achieved. Moreover, Franklin blends the idea of American puritanism and the Age of Reason together benefiting to the factor of how successful America is today.
In 1620 about a thousand men and women settled in Boston seeking religious independence. They wanted to liberally practice Puritanism which is a religious belief where they attempt to be morally perfect and avoid any self-indulgence. “Three beliefs [which] pervaded puritan writing and deeply influenced later American culture” where being able to completely have their

This was taking place during the the 17th century which was also the same time when puritanism was still popular. The two beliefs were contradicting but, Benjamin Franklin found a way to combine them together. The age of reason provided the scientific outlook on life. During this time period there became a flaw because men thought they could perfect their way of living rationally in a scientific way. It was either white or black in all scenarios of life, “overlooked the subtle shades of grey in between.” Although there were some factors in which the quality of existence was able to improve due to the “freedom to experiment and to question existing laws and institutions”