Thursday, April 23, 2009

The IPhone and Virtue

News on a new application for the IPhone:

Equilibrium Enterprises, Inc. has unveiled its latest iPhone application, Virtues for the iPhone, which is designed to help users, step by step, follow in the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin's time-honored self-improvement system, updated for a digital age.

The Virtues app is based upon Benjamin Franklin's own system of tracking how well he displayed virtues in his character daily for a period of one week. He focused exclusively on tracking one virtue per week.

With 13 virtues -- temperance, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, silence, order, resolution and humility -- he surmised he could cycle through the process four times over the course of one year.

He wrote about this daily practice in his autobiography at the age of 79, and attributed much of his success to it, saying, "I was, by the endeavor, a better and a happier man than I otherwise should have been if I had not attempted it." He also wrote, "I hope, therefore, that my descendants will follow this example and reap the benefits."


The Virtues app will soon be available for the Android and BlackBerry also.


4 comments:

Dr. RosenRosen said...

New and improved: Virtual Virtues. Why bother with actual virtues when you can have virtual ones?

I have to say that I find it foolish to keep track of your virtue development on anything connected to the internet or cell phone systems. Of course, I also have an irrational fear of Facebook...

Justus Hommes said...

I found it humorous. You know I am anti-Facebook.

Dr. RosenRosen said...

Like minds::thinking alike

Anonymous said...

Facebook just posted its status as unhappy with Dr Rosen Rosen for his derision.