Rationalist Assignment.

1.The Rationalists and the Puritans had extremely differing ideas on god and his relationship to man, and consequently man's intelligence and how man should use it. The Puritans believed that if a man were to get sick it was god punishing that person; the Rationalists believed that keeping a person from sickness was merely keeping them from sickness, not going against the will of god. the Rationalists believed that god created the universe at the beginning and set it into motion, letting it play out due to natural laws. According to the Rationalists god gave humans intelligence, humans did not steal it from god, and we should use our intelligence to interpret and manipulate those natural laws that the universe is built on. The Puritans believed that god was displeased with our intelligence and that trying to figure out how the universe operated was like deconstructing god's work. A similar argument in today's society would be the arguments for and against evolution being taught in schools. The Christians believe that if evolution is taught in schools intelligent design, the idea that our anatomy at too complex for there not to have been a prior intelligent creator A.K.A. god, should be given just as much time.


2. Benjamin Franklin was a rationalist of the highest degree, overcoming obstacles using logic instead of faith, such as his thirteen virtues that he wished to improve about himself. A good example of Franklin's scientific logic can be seen in this excerpt from his autobiography, "I made a little book, in which I allotted a page for each of the [thirteen] virtues....I might mark, by a little black spot, every fault found upon examination to have committed respecting that virtue upon that day."


3. if I had to think of thirteen virtues I need to work on these would be them, in no specific order:

1) Temperance-Do not overeat, oversleep, overindulge, or consume anything harmful in excess.
2) Selflessness-Seek to help those in need and use all the power I possess to do so.
3) Equality-Treat strangers with the politeness I would hope for them to treat me with, also trust those close to me to know how to live their lives.
4) Silence-Only speak when it is for the benefit of myself or others, refrain from gossiping and idle chat
5) Continual Improvement-Always train some part of my body or mind, for example walking differently than I am used to to build different muscles, or trying to manipulate objects outside of my range of sight to train proprioception.
6) Exercise-Use all of the calories I consume in a manner that will best aid my ability to move.
7) Nutrition-Eat foods that provide me with all the nutrients I need without an excess of that which I don't need.
8) Knowledge-Seek to use all idle time to further my view of the universe and all of it's inhabitants.
9) Speech-Speak in a direct manner that conveys ideas accurately and without confusion.
10) Punctuality-Arrive promptly and without delay.
11) Perspective-Seek to understand that my actions do not affect much in the long run but that I still must maintain my life at a comfortable standard because of it's affect on those I care about.
12) Patience-To keep from frustration when things take longer than I expect.
13) Realize My Effect on Others-All my actions effect people, try to maximize that effect to help and not harm.

5. The declaration of independence is a good example of rationalist thought, it lists all of the problems with Great Britain in no uncertain terms. there also seems to not be a tone of anger towards Great Britain, but instead a tone of reason, the First passage in the declaration states, "When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." the Declaration of Independence takes a very methodical approach to discussing one's problems. The Rationalists that penned the Declaration of Independence believed that all humans were born with rights that government should never infringe upon, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."