著者

西平 功

出版者

沖縄国際大学

雑誌

沖縄国際大学外国語研究 (ISSN:1343070X)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.11, no.1, pp.A1-54, 2008-03

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This paper aims at tracing the process of what drove Franklin to formulate his 13 virtues at the age of 25 and what devices he employed to put them into practice. The paper then analyzes the contents of each virtue in terms of the purposes he originally set forth and reveals the outcomes of the practice around the time of the formulation and sometimes thereafter. This study has found that the virtues were conceptualized on the experimental basis for his own use at first but soon extended to include the same-minded youth elsewhere, that the devices he recommended were practical and down-to-earth, and that the contents he wrote were flexible enough to be modifiable to suit various circumstances. In the final analysis, Franklin did not altogether live up to the goals he set, but his spirit of building himself for doing good for the public remained adamant.