เบนจามิน แฟรงคลิน บุรุษหลายมิติ

by Philip Dray, ภานุ ด่านวานิชกุล (Translator)

ชีวประวัติของนักเขียน นักปรัชญา นักการเมือง นักประดิษฐ์ นักปฏิรูป นักการฑูต และนักวิทยาศาสตร์ผู้สร้างคุณูปการให้กับโลกมากมาย

ทุกวันนี้ เมื่อเรานึกถึงเบนจามิน แฟรงคลิน เรามักนึกถึงชายผู้นี้ในฐานะผู้ร่วมประกาศอิสระภาพให้อเมริกา นักหนังสือพิมพ์ยุคบุกเบิก นักเขียนเจ้าสำบัดสำนวน นักการเมืองเปี่ยมชั้นเชิง และนักการทูตผู้มากความสามารถ ทว่าในสมัยของแฟรงคลินซึ่งเป็นยุคแสงสว่างแห่งปัญญา และก่อนหน้าที่เขาจะได้เป็นรัฐบุรุษผู้มีชื่อเสียงนี้ แฟรงคลินสร้างชื่อจากผลงานทางวิทยาศาสตร์ซึ่งปฏิวัติแนวคิดและองค์ความรู้ในยุคนั้นอย่างสิ้นเชิง

ฟิลิป เดรย์ นักเขียนสารคดีผู้เข้าชิงรางวัลพูลิตเซอร์ หยิบเรื่องราวของแฟรงคลินมาบอกเล่าอีกครั้ง นอกจากจะชี้ให้เห็นความสามารถอันหลากหลายที่รวมอยู่ในตัวบุรุษผู้นี้แล้ว เดรย์ยังใช้ความสนใจด้านวิทยาศาสตร์ของแฟรงคลินและแนวคิดเกี่ยวกับการทดลองเป็นเครื่องเปรียบเทียบ แสดงถึงการดิ้นรนต่อสู้ของเพื่อสร้างรากฐานของคนอเมริกัน เขาเล่าถึงวิธีการที่แฟรงคลินได้เปิดเผยความลึกลับทางธรรมชาติอันยิ่งใหญ่อย่างหนึ่ง นั่นก็คือพลังแห่งสายฟ้าและกระแสไฟฟ้าที่ไม่มีผู้ใดล่วงรู้มาก่อน กระทั่งนำมาสู่การประดิษฐ์สายล่อฟ้า และการสรรหาวิธีเก็บกักกระแสไฟฟ้า ซึ่งกลายเป็นคุณูปการให้กับนักวิทยาศาสตร์รุ่นหลัง

รายละเอียดทางประวัติศาสตร์มากมายที่ได้จากการค้นคว้าแหล่งข้อมูลอันหลากหลาย รวมถึงกลวิธีในการดำเนินเรื่องที่เฉียบคมของเดรย์ ทำให้ เบนจามิน แฟรงคลิน บุรุษหลายมิติ (Stealing God’s Thunder ) เป็นหนังสือชีวประวัติที่ไม่เหมือนใคร ในการนำเสนอภาพลักษณ์ของผู้สร้างสหรัฐอเมริกาและนักวิทยาศาสตร์ผู้ยิ่งใหญ่แห่งยุคคนนี้

Genres: History, Science, Biography, Nonfiction, Audiobook, Biography Memoir, American History

416 pages, Paperback

First published December 27, 2005

About the author

Pulitzer Prize finalist and winner of the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Book Award.

Lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Thom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally read in 2005, I'm bumping this up to 4 stars on the reread (shocking!). Nicely focused on Franklin and his many achievements, with a good amount of explanation for the electricity.

Has some standard bio bits, but these also serve to show why Franklin was such a free thinker. This has the story of the kite in the thunderstorm, likely not a myth. The lightning rod really is the core of the story, which continues in the epilog (shysters selling lightning panic, then steel frame buildings making them obsolete). Also does a great job with related lightning folks in Europe.

I somehow missed a section where Franklin returned from France to America, he found his house had been struck by lightning. "Initiating a renovation of his Market Street house, he had located an original 1752 lightning rod still intact on the roof, its copper tip thoroughly bent and blackened. As there was no other damage to the house visible, Franklin concluded happily that 'at length the invention has been of some use to the inventor.' ” Of course his bifocals were also of some use to the inventor.

Yeah, I liked this book more on the reread. Wonder if I was looking for more American Revolution content the first time, or perhaps I had just watched 1776. Anyhow, recommended - especially if you like electricity.

[Abby Goldsmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best biographies I've read, along with Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman, The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo, and Columbus: The Four Voyages. I'm just assuming these books are historically accurate. But this one added quite a bit to my basic knowledge of Ben Franklin, including his personal opinions on the hot button political issues of his era, such as the Enlightenment, steam power versus electricity, and slavery.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable. Stealing God's Thunder is more about the history of electricity in its formative years than it is a biography of Benjamin Franklin. The biographical portion of Franklin serves as a motif woven throughout the book. Stealing God's Thunder offers a wonderful inquiry into the scientific thought behind the American Revolution that was building up for decades. While reading this book, keep in mind (or learn) how subjects such as science, politics, philosophy, and history are intimately connected to each other.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carl really liked it. I slept through the middle but went back and finished it. Very educational but I don't need that much information. Franklin had lots of witty sayings, invented the lightning rod, wood stove, a musical instrument, and bifocals, was the first important man of his time to call for the end of slavery, and only had one wife. Probably because she wouldn't cross the Atlantic to join him in England or France.
http://www.meetdeborahfranklin.com/de...

[Christiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author brought Benjamin Franklin to life - this isn't a complete biography (or even his autobiography which he wrote in 1791), which is nice because it focuses on his brilliant inventions that shaped our world even today.

It's a quick read too - I did it in audiobook - 8 CDs.

[Marianne Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I grabbed this book off the shelf, I told myself I didn't need to read yet another book about Ben Franklin. Was I ever wrong; this book is an important read. It's the first time, I ever thought about invention naturally confronting preaching. The stories of Ben's discoveries were fascinating but how new ideas challenged the beliefs of the church was thought provoking to even little ol' me 300 years later.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good look at Franklin, the repentent antivaxxer who believed in an afterlife, and scientific controversy.

[Arthur Gershman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A recently published book may be of some interest to the intellectual property community. "Stealing God's Thunder" details the history of Benjamin Franklin's invention of the lightning rod, and goes on to sketch Ben's role in the invention of the United States' system of government.

In a few places, the book touches on subjects which are of particular interest to the intellectual property professional.

Eschewing a patent, Franklin published a complete description of his lightning rod invention in "Poor Richard's Almanac" in November 1753. Much to our delight, the author includes the entire text of the article in his book, on page 91. The Poor Richard article is entitled, "How to Secure Houses, etc., from Lightning."

In his "Epilogue," the author makes the following statement:
"Benjamin Franklin's refusal to patent his `instrument so new' likely contributed to the competitive free-for-all that began to characterize lightening rod design, manufacture, and sales within a few decades of his death."
This is so wrong on so many levels I hardly know where to begin. Dray seems to say that because Franklin did not obtain a patent on his invention, the market forces did not apply to Franklin's invention. Why is this the case? Also, why "a few decades" when a patent's term was generally limited at the time to 14 years. And what does his death have do with it when the rod was published in 1753 and Franklin lived until 1790?

However, Dray does not confine himself to the lightning rod. He also discusses the invention of the famous "Franklin stove." In discussing the stove the author describes Franklin's philosophy toward patents: "As he would with all his inventions, Franklin, although he stood to profit from the sales of the stove, did not apply for a patent. He believed that products of the human imagination belonged to no one person, and should be shared by all."

In this we are reminded of the comments of Rosalyn Yalow, a physicist who, together with Soloman A. Berson, a physician, developed radioimmunassay (RIA). On receiving the Nobel Prize, Yalow said, "In my day scientists did not always think of things as being patentable. We made a scientific discovery. Once it was published it was open to the world." Fortunately, today's scientists may take advantage of the statutory invention
Registration (SIR). For further details, see, "Rosalyn Yalow's Patent and H.R. 1127" in "The Law Works," January, 1996, at page 17 (the predecessor to the present publication.)

Page 1

One further aspect of the book may be of particular interest to the intellectual property community, and that is the aspect of the patents of the colonies and the States. Remember, Franklin's rod was published in 1753 and the United States Constitution was not ratified until 1789 and the first federal patent law was not enacted until 1790. As Dray notes about Franklin's refusal to patent his inventions, on page 37 "Besides its commendable altruism, this philosophy probably saved him from a tremendous amount of aggravation. Anyone seeking to patent a new mechanical innovation in the New World would need to secure it in each colony individually..."

This is further complicated by the fact that after the Revolution and before the adoption of the Constitution the government took the form of the Confederation, turning the colonies into States. A number of patents were issued both by the colonies and the States. Some examples of these appear in the Twelfth Census of the United States in 1900 Vol. X, Part IV, page 75 and is quoted in Deller's Walker on Patent's 2nd Ed at pages 53 through 58:

Year Inventor Invention Term

CONNECTICUT
1717 Edward Hinman Making molasses from cornstalks 10 years
1783 Benjamin Hanks Self-winding clock 14 years

NEW YORK
1787 John Fitch Steam Boat

NEW HAMPSHIRE
1786 Benj. Dearborn Printing Press 14 years
1789 Oliver Evans Elevator 7 years

PENNSYLVANIA
1717 Thomas Masters Cleaning, curing, and refining Indian corn 14 years

MARYLAND
1787 Oliver Evans Steam Carriage 14 years

In conclusion, "Stealing God's Thunder" is an interesting light read for the technically and historically minded intellectual property professional.

[Wayland Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well researched and entertainly written biography of Benjamin Franklin. I've always been interested in the American Revolution and the various leaders involved. This covers Franklin's life from his early days in Boston, settling in Philadelphia, and his time in England and France.

It's not a huge tome, so not everything is covered in huge detail, but nothing substantial is skipped. There's a lot of detail about Franklin's experiments with electricity, and the controversity around his lightning rods. I had known they weren't accepted by everyone, but I hadn't realized the level of resistance.

There's a lot of time about his mission in France on behalf of the newly formed American government. Franklin never fought in the War, and the Revolution is barely dealt with, focusing more on the aftermath.

Franklin comes across as a warm, brilliant, friendly man who I would have loved to know. This was an interesting book that I learned a lot from. Recommended to fans of American History, the American Revolution, or Franklin himself.

[Susan Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe I should be careful about giving so many books five stars, but when I love it, I love it. This is about Benjamin Franklin as a scientist and inventor, particularly his invention of the lightning rod, but that invention is depicted (convincingly) as a symbol of the Enlightenment. So many natural occurrences, such as disease and natural disasters, had, up to that time, been interpreted as acts of an angry God. Science turned the world around (though as we know, there remain many who refuse to accept that). I learned so much about Deism, and found Franklin to be such an engaging character. People I've spoken to about him inevitably talk about his marital infidelity. If you are curious to learn more about that, read a different book.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although he does spend a lot of time on Franklin’s lightning and electricity experiments, the book is much broader than the title suggests. Not a comprehensive biography, it focuses on his interest in science and the connection (maybe a bit tenuous) between his scientific curiosity, the Enlightenment in general and the development of American democracy. The last two do have a definite connection. Pretty good, and I learned more about lightning and how lightning rods work than I ever imagined I would. But do people still use them?

[Chrismcginn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benjamin Franklin as a scientist... With a focus on his work with electricity and development of the lightning rod. Apparently this was a way more significant and controversial invention then I realized. This is primarily b/c it represented man's attempts to thwart "acts of God" as it was seen at the time. Also notes his relationships with key Enlightenment figures in America and Europe. Interesting but a bit dense. Found myself skimming bits, but definitely a different perspective on a favorite American.

[Spazfungus · Rating 2 out of 5]

While an interesting topic, the author manages to make it so dry, I could barely finish it. A notable goal of listing who why when where what influenced Franklin, it would have been better presented in a six-degrees chart. If you manage to read through it, you'll learn a few interesting tidbits (though truthfully I haven't gotten a chance to read other Franklin biographies, so these fun facts may not be new and may be better presented elsewhere)

[Kasandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Often slow going and a bit dry, but interesting reading about Franklin's experiments with electricity, and others as well during the era. This book captures a period in early American history that still fascinates me, and also shows how much time Franklin actually spent living in England, and, later, France, which came as a surprise to me. A partial biography, probably not the best book for learning more about Franklin in detail, but a good overview.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to this book.

Do NOT listen to this book. The narrator is David Chandler and I don't know if it is his voice, his style, or the book itself (probably a combo of all three) but it was a chore to get through. I should have popped it out of the car and muddled through the actual book. It may have been better. It couldn't have been worse.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

The focus was on Franklin's scientific explorations and primarily his electricity & lightning experiments that were a major step forward in this part of the era of enlightenment. It was revealing how this was part of the whole creation of a broader scientific method, the interaction with religious forces, and finally its impact oin socal/political changes of humanism and democracy.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

The effortless grace of Phil Dray's prose gives the impression he could write as engagingly on almost any topic. In this case, a biography of Ben Franklin as scientist rather than statesman incorporates lots of specifically interesting facts in the context of the Enlightenment, Deism and the conflict between science and religion that continues to divide American society.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focused on Benjamin Franklin's contributions to the world of science, rather than politics. It was fascinating to me to learn just how much medieval notions of how nature worked dominated the world as late as the 1700's. He helped the world overcome superstitions.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not quite a biography of Ben Franklin, more a perspective on the 18th Century, the Enlightenment and the role Franklin played in ending the era of superstition and ignorance. Well worth reading, especially if you never quite got why the invention of the lightning rod was such a big deal.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. Just what I like from my scientist biographies -- a picture of the culture in which the discovery grew, and why it was so revolutionary to the thinking of the time. Strongly recommended.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit more science history than I was aware of or planning on. But, at least now I can say that I know a lot more about Ben Franklin than I did before I started.

Time to get back to a good book of fiction.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biography of Benjamin Franklin focusing on him as a scientist. Gives lots of background and history on the scientific knowledge of the time that relates to Franklin's work. It is wholly flattering to Franklin. Overall, it is well written and fascinating.

[Fourth Grade]

I learned that Benjami Frankklin made electtricity

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting study of Franklin's life.

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book about Ben Franklin. I didn’t realize all the things he invented and all the places he went. It was full of facts and a bit overwhelming at times.

[Seamus]

Just started it, so far its fun!

[Peter Zellner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful!

[Boon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of research has been done for writing this book. It's show more on scientific side of Benjamin Franklin and the effect of his invention. Not so much about his personal life.

[Apeel · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good

[Scott Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about some of the early findings on how Ben Franlin helped launch the electronic age.