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Comment by gremlinsinc | Hacker News Reader

I'm just curious if they practiced that 'chastity' one... cause 'no thanks' lol

"but for health" allows a lot. And "never to dullness, weakness, or to the injury of your own, or others' peace or reputation" is a pretty solid policy.

I never practiced this because I didn't feel it very helpful. I wish I had more insight into why Ben Franklin thought this was important.

> I wish I had more insight into why Ben Franklin thought this was important.

Perhaps you would if you'd tried it :)

But really, doesn't this point boil down to: don't act like a sex addict, and avoid stirring up a bunch of drama?

The standards for acceptable conduct in the 18th Century were quite different in this regard than they are today.

> The standards for acceptable conduct in the 18th Century were quite different in this regard than they are today.

Well, they didn't have Tinder, but I'm not so sure things were as different as you may think. Here's a pretty amusing letter Franklin wrote that may provide some insight into his thinking on the topic:

Benjamin Franklin, Advice to a Young Man on the Choice of a Mistress (1745) - http://www.themightypen.net/topic/16757-benjamin-franklin-ad...

I've read it, but give more thought to points 3 and 4. Obviously people were sometimes having extramarital sex, but they were not freely admitting it and it could be truly scandalous (particularly for the woman) if someone learned of it.

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