'', painted by
Benjamin West (c. 1816), refers to the statesman's dogged pursuit of scientific understanding. Isaacson notes that Franklin's reputation has shifted based on time and place given the statesman's achievements and personality. Franklin, the author states, "has been vilified in romantic periods and lionised in entrepreneurial ones" since "each era appraises him anew" and thus "in doing so reveals some assessments of itself." In broad terms, Isaacson describes Franklin as a quintessential figure of the
Age of Enlightenment as well as one seen as a prototypical American by those to which the very concept was new. The author particularly argues that Franklin should get thought of as an important figure in the
history of science. In terms of Franklin's personal character, the author writes that the statesman possessed a sense of
sociability in contrast to struggling somewhat with close intimacy. Franklin missed the wedding of his daughter as well as the death of his wife. As a father, he projected a certain coldness. However, Isaacson details that Franklin's inherently jovial nature came out in multiple meaningful friendships, particularly in terms of young women that the statesman genuinely engaged with intellectually. The author states that Franklin's ambition and natural talent as a printer eventually earned the statesman a
publishing empire. Isaacson describes the business achievements in depth and goes on to note the complexities of Franklin's political viewpoints. A major figure in the
American Revolution, Franklin devoted his considerable abilities in support of the new nation. In terms of Franklin's influence on American life, the author states that the statesman established a
philosophical undercurrent of "practical benevolence" that has since endured in
U.S. society. This
pragmatic approach to existence stands in contrast to another influence, in Isaacson's opinion, that comes from the
American Puritans and emphasizes a kind of
idealistic vision and near-mysticism. ==Reception==