Benjamin Franklin

""We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable" in a draft of the Declaration of Independence changes it instead into an assertion of rationality. The scientific mind of Franklin drew on the scientific determinism of Isaac Newton and the analytic empiricism of David Hume and Gottfried Leibniz. In what became known as "Hume's Fork" the latters' theory distinguished between synthetic truths that describe matters of fact, and analytic truths that are self-evident by virtue of reason and definition."

20 likes

Source: Benjamin Graham (2009). “The Intelligent Investor, Rev. Ed”, p.1, Harper Collins

About the author

Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin

Inventor, Statesman, Author

Benjamin Franklin was a Founding Father of the United States, renowned for his contributions to science, politics, and philosophy, especially through 'Poor Richard's Almanack.'

All quotes by Benjamin Franklin →

Same author

More quotes by Benjamin Franklin

See all →
Benjamin Franklin Inventor, Statesman, Author

"The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness; to an opponent, tolerance; to a friend, your heart; to your child, a good example; to a father, deference; to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you; to yourself, respect; to all others, charity."

Read quote