A biographer celebrates Benjamin Franklin’s curiosity and joy in science
The Founding Father in Richard Munson’s “Ingenious: A Biography of Benjamin Franklin, Scientist” isn’t simply a skilled diplomat, leader, and writer. Here, the 18th-century figurehead is a veritable poster child for irrepressible curiosity and joyful problem-solving. Whether observing the interaction of oil and water, inventing a musical instrument called the armonica, or conducting electricity experiments with that famous kite, Benjamin Franklin, Mr. Munson contends, “found a respite in science.”
Mr. Munson chatted with the Monitor via video call; the conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
The word “ingenious” had a rich meaning in Franklin’s day. How so?
Generally today, we think of it as equivalent to intellect. But back then, it included things like curiosity, industriousness, and even cheerfulness. I took that as the title because it seemed as though it was Franklin’s favorite word. In his memoir, “The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin,” I think he used it 17, maybe 20 times to describe the mental and manual talents of his ancestors – candlemakers, blacksmiths, and others. He admired them and took some of their characteristics, but was consistently exhibiting his own curiosity, and always in search of other ingenious people. So it seemed as though it was rich and on target for who he was.
How did curiosity fuel Franklin’s development as a scientist?
Every encounter sparked his curiosity. One example was when he was on a horseback ride in Maryland with a bunch of other gentlemen and they spotted a whirlwind off in the distance. And he had this great little line: He said the rest of the party stayed up on the ridge looking at the development of this swirling debris, but “my curiosity being stronger,” he took off and went after it.
He was not only being curious; he was testing the common thesis of the day, which was, you throw something through a developing whirlwind, and it’ll dissipate. So he gets close to it with his horse, poor horse, and whips [the whirlwind] with his whip numerous times and nothing happens. Here’s his chance to test the common theory. And then he writes an actual academic paper that gets picked up by the Royal Society of England and distributed widely. He was just willing to follow what he thought were interesting things and challenge conventional wisdom in the process.
Franklin didn’t just experiment; he was an active – almost ebullient – inventor. Which of his creations struck you as particularly impressive?
This isn’t answering your question directly, but one thing that surprised me about his creative process was how much joy he had in discovery. My image of him is this guy with a sly smile, a sort of creative, whimsical character [with] a wry sense of humor. But the amount of enthusiasm and, for lack of a better word, joy that he and his colleagues had when they were developing experiments ... I just found that really refreshing.
As busy as Franklin was with his political and diplomatic roles, his scientific mind never stopped whirring. Was his sense of curiosity an escape – or a balm?
He was always sort of curious as to where things would lead. It even established his politics. He had this belief that Americans, the colonists, would be appreciated by the European elite only if they showed some technological or scientific prowess. So he created the American Philosophical Society, which still exists today. It was sort of the first effort to have representatives from throughout the 13 Colonies, who were fiercely independent of each other – they really didn’t like each other – and here was a united association of scientists, sort of the foundation, if you will, of the United States.
He viewed his science as a way to advance his politics, which was bringing the Colonies together and advancing their standing ... having the Colonies be better respected and not overly taxed and not restricted in their land acquisitions by the crown. He linked those two. That’s why I say, “Science was his through line” – that’s how he approached all aspects of his life.
Did Franklin treat the U.S. and the Constitution as an experiment?
He appreciated that the Constitution was a great document and the best that they could come up with, but he knew that it wasn’t perfect and that it had to change. It didn’t say anything about enslaved people, for instance. Again, it goes back to his mindset: Everything was an experiment, including politics, including the Constitution.
This links to a point about his continued relevance. Unlike some people who claim that they are originalists, here is one of the originals who’s saying, “No, the document was going to evolve as observations and knowledge and other things evolve.”
If Franklin were alive today, he wouldn’t be surprised that many of his then-revolutionary [scientific] findings were thrown out the door, because we have more sophisticated testing equipment now. But he’d appreciate that science evolves.
Franklin goes in and out of fashion as a historical figure. What can he offer us today?
Many, I think, are troubled by what seems to be a growing distrust of science and a dismissal of facts. Here we have one of our founders, probably our most popular founder, who’s suggesting there’s something to be said for observation and experimentation, for observable facts and truths.
