I was recently in Philadelphia at the Poultry Science Association meeting, a great meeting of great science-based poultry minds. When in Philly, you do Philly things. Eat cheese steak, visit the Reading Market (YUM!!!), visit the Liberty Bell, and of course visit many historical sites including the burial site and museum of Benjamin Franklin.

I am not going to lie. He is my favorite person, and if I could go back in time, he would be the one I sit with on a bench and chat about life. What did he not invent? According to his interactive museum, not much. He invented bifocals, fire departments, fire insurance, the Benjamin franklin stove, paved roads, and the list goes on and on. What is amazing is that whatever he invented, he didn’t believe in patents. He believed people should have the ability and right to enjoy whatever he made. He also started Penn State and the first hospital. After the museum, it kind of made me feel unaccomplished. Did he ever sleep?

Fast forward to his later years, when he became involved in politics. Of all the major accomplishments he had, there is one that is the most significant. People often give credit to Jefferson for writing the most famous sentence in the Declaration of Independence, and perhaps in all of American history: “We hold these truths to be self-evident ... ” – 1776. However, after Jefferson finished writing the Constitution, he presented the document to Benjamin Frankin to review. Franklin had only one small “minor” change. He changed Jefferson’s sentence from "We hold these truths to be sacred and un-deniable ..." to "We hold these truths to be self-evident."

Self-evident. Such a strong word. To scientists, this word means even more. If we do a little digging, it’s Benjamin Franklin’s love of science and the scientific method that brought us that phrase. According to some historians, Jefferson chose the word “sacred” to mean intentionally being created by faith and in faith. In other words, it was an assertion of religion. However, Frankin, by changing the word to self-evident, made our truths validated and scientifically driven by data.

Whether we are talking about cell metabolism, or raising birds, or our other foundational political beliefs, we must rely on data and the truth. That’s a lot to think about. I have no desire to start a political argument, just noting the fact that the most famous political document has a scientific undertone.

Self-evident truths

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