Benjamin Franklin's Writings and Alcohol

Paper Summary:

The perils of drinking are illustrated throughout much of Benjamin Franklin's writing, thus continuing the belief that he avidly opposed the consumption of alcohol. Franklin's "extraordinary life long temperance" and his drinking "only water while working" are emphasized by many of his biographers today. The paper shows, however, that this is not entirely accurate. While many of his works depict the evils associated with alcohol, there is also a substantial amount praising its use and condemning its avoidance. The paper shows that Franklin's writings demonstrate that overindulgence in anything, not merely alcohol, can have many unfortunate repercussions, while its enjoyment in moderation can be beneficial.

From the Paper:

"Contrary to the ideas in his previously discussed writings, Franklin praises the discovery of wine and its use to obtain knowledge and improve health. He does not, however, explicitly condemn the drinking of water altogether, but rather the drinking of only water as foreign to our nature. He explains in an amusing, yet surprisingly accurate theory, that "animals, who are intended to drink the waters that flow upon the earth, that if they have long legs, they have also a long neck, so that they can get at their drink without kneeling down. But man, who was destined to drink wine, must be able to raise the glass to his mouth" (Franklin 940). Franklin's ideas about the drinking of wine sharply contrast the belief that he possessed a life long aversion to all forms of drink."

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