From the historic campus of Hillsdale College in Hillsdale, Michigan, where the good, the true, and the beautiful are taught, nurtured, and honored, this is the Radio Free Hillsdale Hour, bringing the activity and education of the

college to listeners across the country.

Money is the information system of the market economy, and when you start messing with it,

all of commerce becomes deranged and becomes less productive, and people get poor.

So, you know, very short

summary, inflation makes you poor. This is your host, Scott Fertram. And that's Nathan Lewis. He is

co-author of a new book along with Steve Forbes and Elizabeth Ames, inflation, what it is, why it's

bad, and how to fix it. We'll talk in depth with Nathan coming up in just a few moments.

First, today we're joined by Dr. Kevin Slack. He is Associate Professor of Politics here at Hillsdale

College, also author of Benjamin Franklin, Natural Right and the Art of Virtue. He returns

for our small series on Benjamin Franklin, and today we talk about Franklin as moral lawgiver.

Dr. Slack, thanks so much for joining us. Thanks, Scott. Last time we talk about Franklin as moral lawgiver. Dr. Slack, thanks so much for joining us.

Hey, Scott.

Last time we talked about Franklin as Enlightenment philosopher, this time Franklin as moral

lawgiver, and next time Franklin is statesman. Does Franklin have what you'd call an ethical

teaching? Yes, that Franklin has his own definition of happiness,

and he tries to show his readers how they can pursue their own happiness, and at the highest

level it would mean a form of self-knowledge. In the book, you mentioned that Franklin really can

be thought of as having thinking in the tradition of Socrates.

Do you think his understanding of virtue is also similar to those of the ancients?

Well, I think he asked some of the same questions that ancient thinkers asked.

For example, what is the motive of moral virtue?

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