Episode Notes

[00:00] Introduction to the Junto

[00:43] Welcome to Curated Questions

[01:04] Setting the Scene: 1727 Philadelphia

[01:22] Meet the Junto Members

[01:57] The Junto's Impact on Society

[04:03] Franklin's Early Life and Influences

[04:55] The Formation of the Junto

[05:16] The Rules of the Junto

[05:35] The Spirit of Inquiry

[06:14] The Power of Language

[06:54] The Playful Side of the Junto

[07:19] The 24 Questions

[08:12] Themes of the Questions

[08:32] Personal and Intellectual Growth

[09:17] Community and Social Awareness

[10:22] Civic Engagement and Justice

[11:26] Mutual Support and Collaboration

[13:30] The Decline of the Junto

[14:49] The Impact on Modern Times

[18:16] Reclaiming the Lost Art of Conversation

[22:25] Final Thoughts and Call to Action

Resources Mentioned

Hugh Meredith

William Coleman

Thomas Godfrey

Joseph Breintnall

Benjamin Franklin's 24 Junto Questions

Essays to Do Good by Cotton Mather

Cotton Mather

Declaration of Independence

Library Company of Philadelphia

Hugh Roberts

Beauty Pill

Producer Ben Ford

Piscataway People

Questions Asked

What if I told you that one antidote to our fractured discourse was invented in a Philadelphia tavern 300 years ago?

Have you lately observed any encroachment on the just liberties of the people?

Do you know of any deserving young beginner lately set up, whom it lies in the power of the Junto any way to encourage?

Have you met with anything in the author you last read, remarkable, or suitable to be communicated to the Junto?

What unhappy effects of intemperance have you lately observed or heard? of imprudence? of passion? or of any other vice or folly?

What happy effects of temperance? of prudence? of moderation? or of any other virtue?

Have you lately heard of any citizen's thriving well, and by what means?

Have you lately heard how any present rich man, here or elsewhere, got his estate?

Do you know of any fellow citizen, who has lately done a worthy action, deserving praise and imitation, or who has committed an error proper for us to be warned against and avoid?

Have you lately observed any defect in the laws of your country, of which it would be proper to move the legislature an amendment?

Have you lately observed any encroachment on the just liberties of the people?

Hath any body attacked your reputation lately? and what can the Junto do towards securing it?

Have you any weighty affair in hand, in which you think the advice of the Junto may be of service?

In what manner can the Junto, or any of them, assist you in any of your honourable designs?

What benefits have you lately received from any man not present?

Do you hear what happened?

Is there any difficulty in matters of opinion, of justice, and injustice, which you would gladly have discussed at this time?

I mean, when's the last time someone asked you a similar question?

When's the last time you felt safe enough to really explore a moral complexity with people who might disagree with you?

So, how do we reclaim this lost art?

How do we rebuild the capacity for productive disagreement in our polarized world?

Have you encountered any information recently that changed how you think about an important issue?

What examples of good citizenship have you witnessed lately that others might want to emulate?

What problems in your community do you think could be solved by people working together?

How has someone outside this group helped you recently, and how might you pay that forward?

What's a question about justice or community well-being that you've been wrestling with that this group might help you think through?

Do you see anything amiss in the present customs or proceedings of our democracy, which might be amended?

The only question is: are we brave enough to try it?

What questions will you bring to your own Junto?