Moral paragon, public servant, founding father; scoundrel, opportunist, womanizing phony: There are many Benjamin Franklins. Now, as we celebrate the tercentenary of Franklin's birth, Jerry Weinberger reveals the Franklin behind the many masks and shows that the real Franklin was far more remarkable than anyone has yet discovered.

Taking the Autobiography as the key to Franklin's thought, Weinberger argues that previous assessments have not yet probed to the bottom of Ben's famous irony and elusiveness. While others take the self-portrait as an elder statesman's relaxed and playful retrospection, Weinberger unveils it as the window to Franklin's deepest reflections on God, virtue, justice, equality, natural rights, love, the good life, the modern technological project, and the place and limits of reason in politics and human experience. Along the way, Weinberger explores Franklin's ribald humor, usually ignored or toned down by historians and critics, and shows it to be charming-and philosophic.

“Weinberger’s book offers a revolutionary reevaluation of Franklins thought, one that unveils Franklin as a far more subtle, complex, and subversive thinker than most have cared to notice. This useful volume has the virtue of being an education in itself, and will pay rich dividends for those willing to learn from this charming American Socrates.”

—Weekly Standard

“Intricate, probing, and insightful. . . . Weinberger has an extraordinary talent for illuminating the meaning of texts.”

—Perspectives on Politics

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“An elegant and fascinating companion to, and analysis of, the work of our cleverest Founding Father. At a time when some noisy advocates are attempting to revise American history, and to represent the Founders as men who believed in a Christian nation, this book could not be more welcome.”

—Christopher Hitchens in the

“Weinberger explores the many identities assumed by Franklin. He deftly unveils his self-portrait to delve into the values and ideas of the powerful intellect lurking behind a multitude of masks. For Weinberg Franklin’s radical and philosophical humor is an important window to his deepest thoughts. . . . Weinberger’s stimulating study provides a treasure trove of examples to support his views.”

—Studies in American Humor

“Weinberger argues that despite the seeming contradictions in Franklin's life and writings, he was ultimately true to himself and developed a unified, remarkable, and relevant philosophy of life. Weinberger also offers an in-depth look at Franklin's masterly use of humor, showing that it remains an important and often overlooked medium for his deepest thoughts. Well researched and well written, this intellectual biography is for both the scholar and the lay reader”

—Library Journal

“Ravishingly subversive.”

—Andrew Sullivan

“An elegant and fascinating companion to, and analysis of, the work of our cleverest Founding Father. At a time when some noisy advocates are attempting to revise American history, and to represent the Founders as men who believed in a Christian nation, this book could not be more welcome.”

—Christopher Hitchens in the Atlantic Monthly

“Franklin’s many masks are examined and lifted to disclose the one real man—a thinker—behind them. Weinberger gives us the radical truth about Franklin in a book that is a delight to read.”

—Harvey Mansfield, author of Americas Constitutional Soul

“With the focus of a bloodhound and the tenacity of a bulldog Weinberger follows Bens spoofs and sophisms into whatever cul-de-sac they lead. His Franklin is a coherent philosopher-skeptic who teases us into thinking for ourselves. . . . A bracing, hilarious, and enlightening experience.”

—Ralph Lerner, author of The Thinking Revolutionary: Principle and Practice in the New Republic

“A lively, clever and well-informed account thats sure to raise controversy.”

—Ralph Ketcham, author of The Political Thought of Ben Franklin

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Following Franklin's rhetorical twists and turns, Weinberger discovers a serious thinker who was profoundly critical of religion, moral virtue, and political ideals and whose grasp of human folly constrained his hopes for enlightenment and political reform. This close and amusing reading of Franklin portrays a scrupulous dialectical philosopher, humane and wise, but more provocative and disturbing than even the most hardboiled interpreters have taken Franklin to be—a freethinking critic of Enlightenment freethinking, who played his moral and theological cards very close to the vest.

Written for general readers who want to delve more deeply into the mind of a great man and great American, Benjamin Franklin Unmasked shows us a massively powerful intellect lurking behind the leather-apron countenance. This lively, witty, and revelatory book is indispensable for those who want to meet the real Franklin.