of individuals to improve their minds, and therefore their lives and communities, through the art of reading and study and to his credit established the first lending library, and contributed frequently to newspapers and almanacs.  His Age of Reason philosophies are also reflected in the list of thirteen virtues he identified at one point in his life as a foundation of self-improvement, as well as the time management system he developed, saying, "Dost thou love life?  Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of". 

Like John Locke and Sir Isaac Newton, also frequently associated with the Enlightenment period, Ben Franklin was interested in both the philosophies of living life (like Locke) and the science of human living (like Newton).  Like Newton, Franklin came to believe that man's ability to manuever and analyze the forces of the universe, gave each individual unique power and responsibility for running his or her own life.  Locke's work echoed these ideas when he argued that human beings were essentially blank slates upon which knowledge develops as the individual experiences the world.  Franklin embraced both of these ideas, as well as proclaiming himself a "Deist", meaning one who believed that the Creator of the universe did just that--and nothing else, leaving human beings to their own devices, free to make choices and mistakes and generally orchestrate their journey through life.  Franklin, however, brought a practical spin to his ideas, creating an almanac that dispensed advice and brought attention to the flaws and foibles of humanity, gently reminding individuals that personal and self-improvement lay within his or her grasp, if only he or she was willing to discipline him or herself into being a better person.  In fact, Franklin himself spent one year working on personal virtues, one at a time, in a quest for self-improvement.  His datebook or personal planning notebook, where he recorded these types of activities was the inspiration for the Franklin Covey (formerly known as Franklin Quest) day planning systems.  The cover page of every Franklin Covey paper refill features a sketch of Franklin's profile and a quote by Franklin about the value of effectively using one's time:  "Dost thou love life?  Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of." 

The Cambridge Companion to Benjamin Franklin makes the point that Franklin (1706-1790) and his contemporary intellectual thinkers may not have been aware of themselves as representatives of an "Enlightenment" movement though they were surely aware that their age marshaled in and embraced new ideological constructs. Throughout the 18th century (1700s) the idea of "reason" had been explored and defined by thinkers such as Rousseau, Locke, Hobbes and Voltaire. Some of these ideas limited the power of the government (e.g., Locke) and some denounced the all-encompassing power of the Church (e.g., Voltaire) while all advanced the rights of the individual, even Hobbes who implicitly advanced the rights of the individual by proscribing a Social Contract and a strong absolute monarchy to govern the individual's greed and selfishness.

Franklin was a participant in the discussion of this new ideology of individualism and even carried the exploration of Enlightenment reason from his writings into the physical realm through his experiments, particularly those with electricity where he drew "lightning from the clouds" (Thomas Paine). He early in life rejected his father's Puritanism and as an adult identified himself with Deists, who opposed the idea of an all-encompassingly powerful religion and Church, though he was not a violently outspoken Deist such as Paine was. Franklin's writings, particularly his autobiography, make it clear that he rejected the old, pre-Enlightenment religious ideology in favor of an ideology backed by the Enlihgtenment's definition of reason.

Benjamin Franklin believed that people were the most important part of a government.  For example, he wanted to make some of his inventions available to the people.

Franklin didn’t patent any of his inventions or scientific discoveries, since he believed that everyone should be able to freely benefit from scientific progress. (http://www.benfranklin300.org)

I think this is actually one of the most remarkable features of Ben Franklin.  He cared more about people than fame, money, or success.  He wanted people to use his inventions.  He is a real American hero.

Like most of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin believed more in the power of the individual than in the power of government. He also believed that individuals had the ability to change themselves and their destiny through their own merits, not by predetermined fate (divine providence) or by coercion. This means that while there may indeed be a divine plan, it is up to the individual to make themselves good enough to put it into motion. If the individual aspires only to mediocrity, then the individual cannot purposefully change anything about life and society. If, however, an individual strives to be as skilled, educated, and able as possible, the individual can change the lives of others through personal achievement. This does not abandon the idea of divine providence, but puts the burden of accomplishment on the individual rather than on the spiritual or communal.

Benjamin Franklin did believe in the power of the individual. This is seen through his "creation" of the Thirteen Virtues. He believed that an individual could change the world by changing himself or herself first. Therefore, given his writing and belief in the virtues, he showed a distinct change from the previous thought (society is the most important) to the individual.