[2]: 111 Franck was the first French Jew to receive an agrégation in philosophy, and had a successful academic career.

[2]: 111  He also edited an 1800-page dictionary called Dictionnaire des Sciences Philosophiques in 1844,[2]: 111  and translated the Zohar into French.

[3] He served as president of the Société des Etudies Juives (Society of Jewish Studies) and was a frequent contributor of the Archives Israélites journal.

[2]: 111 Franck was a strong opponent of atheism, favouring the study of mystics and alchemists, such as Paracelsus and Martinez de Pasqually.

[2]: 112 Franck was involved with the European peace movement as the president of Frédéric Passy's Société Française des Amis de la Paix (French Society of Friends of Peace) and a supporter of international arbitration efforts.