When we look at the ideas that Benjamin Franklin propose as a way to reach moral perfection, we might be able to view those ideas as the first for self-help. As time moves on and the confinement of religion slowly backs away, the definition of self-help is no longer the same as it once was. During the times of the Puritan, helping yourself was setting your soul to Heaven and living a decent life. That is no longer the case. Modern self-help books focus on allowing an individual to solve problems that he face on his own.
I don't believe that Franklin's ideas are useless in modern society, but I believe people in modern society view those ideas as religious confinements that help you reach Heaven. Its the change of time that caused the difference in the purpose of writing these self-help books. "Reaching Moral Perfection" is a general guide to live your life, but modern self-help book focus on specific issues that people face.
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