Franklin's Maturity

Perhaps because of the praise and recognition which Franklin was consistently exposed to during his youth, he had a very high opinion of himself, which is most clearly shown in the value he placed on his judgment. However, as he matured, and as his autobiography progressed, he seemed more willing to admit that his judgment was not always foolproof.
This evolution is especially evident in his approach to religion and religious enterprises. During the second section of his autobiography, Franklin is so disgusted with preachers and with society’s approach to religion that he creates his own theory on how to achieve moral perfection. He fails to give preachers the respect which they have earned, considering that they have devoted their lives to studying religion and morals, and assumes that his view is undeniably more refined.
During the third section of his autobiography, Franklin has a completely different approach to religion and religious enterprises. On page 106 Franklin comments that he disagrees with Whitefield’s (a preacher) approach to a service project: “I did not disapprove of the design, but, as Georgia was then destitute of materials and workmen, and it was proposed to send them from Philadelphia at a great expense, I thought it would have been better to have built the house here, and brought the children to it.” However, once Franklin listens to Whitefield’s sermon, he realizes that the preacher’s ideas do, in fact, have some merit, and ends up contributing money to Whitefield’s cause. Perhaps Franklin’s eventual concession is related to the power which Whitefield’s name carried, as Franklin displays a rather obvious obsession with celebrities and status. And then again, perhaps his willingness to listen to Whitefield’s ideas is a result of his maturity and ability to be more open-minded.
This theory that Franklin’s intellectual development can be seen through his willingness to listen to other’s ideas is also supported on page 112, where he comments: “And I found that a much greater number of them than I could have imagined, tho’ against offensive war, were clearly for the defensive.” In this passage, Franklin willingly admits that his first impression of something proves to be incorrect. With age, Franklin seems to have learned the art of processing new information and forming new opinions that incorporate this information. He seems to realize that the world is not quite as black and white as youth would like to perceive it.