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The Praise of Folly (Great Minds)

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In 1509 Erasmus wrote Praise of Folly for the amusement of his learned friend Thomas More (author of Utopia). He wrote in the character of Folly, daughter of Money and Youthfulness. Folly declaims on the foibles of mankind-- sometimes in a light and humorous vein and sometimes taking careful and deadly aim at beliefs and abuses of the time.

One of the wonderful things about reading historical satire is that you get a sense both of the specificity of the time it was written in as well as of the general and enduring idiocies of mankind. Praise of Folly is a great book because it is equal parts familiar (railing about the pedantic nature of scholars) and exotic (discussing the interaction of church and heretics). The book is published together with the Letter to Martin Dorp, defending Praise of Folly to Dorp against charages of being insulting to theologians in general.

The Radice translation is clear, and blessedly puts the notes at the bottom of each page, making them readable. The book also comes with a context-providing introduction and bibliography.

Searching for happiness is a full-time job for me and it seems that almost 500 years ago--Erasmus wrote this book in 1511--others were looking for it too. They called it The Good Life ("summum bonum") then, and the ship of fools that were searching for it had completely booked its passage. Today, it's the same.

Erasmus doesn't let up. He catalogs every type of fool, every kind of folly, and has room to spare. Reading this funny, I mean, profound book, has given me a new respect for those idiotic life decisions I have made. Looking back over the grand scheme of it all...yikes! I can't believe I did that, said that, acted like that!

I highly recommend this satire for teachers, politicians, priests, professors, administrators, managers, Rotarians, poets, grave diggers, and anyone else tempted toward hypocrisy (and if you think you aren't tempted, I mean you most of all).

Reading this book can make you human again. And that is the first step toward the good life.

A full-front blast against the stupidities of us arrogant humans, with a crazy satirical sense of humor. Erasmus reminds us that we have no freakin' idea why we are here and who we are, so we better be humble and respect each other. "In Praise of Folly" was written during a horse travel from Rome to London, as a gift to Erasmus' close friend Thomas More, who was to die under the axe by orders of his former boss Henry VIII, exactly the kind of lunatic Erasmus pokes fun at in this book.

Erasmus strips naked the vanities of politicians, intellectuals, theologians, poets, monks, priests, Popes, magicians, etc. but the most surprising thing about this book first published in 1511 is its relevance to today's world. It even seems more relevant to our times than to his times!! Think about the celebrity system, when people read about soap-opera "actors'" opinions on God, politics and the environment, etc.

Very funny, very honest, very brave. Just imagine, in those times, stating the stupidity and sinfulness of the Pope no less. Erasmus wrote an extremely refreshing, smart, witty and wise book. If more people read it, the world would be a little less insufferable and more enjoyable. Please don't pay any attention to its age or to its classical references. The marrow of the book is just what you need to relax and see the world like it really is. In case you've ever read a self-help or "excellence" book, you'll never do it again: you'll be laughing your brain out at how shallow and stupid they are. Read it now.

If the only thing your remember about Erasmus from high school is that he's a Humanist and has a serious looking face, you should pick up this short tome and read it. Lest you think writers "back then" weren't funny, guess again. This book lambasts everyone from Popes and Cardinals to merchants and ownders for their ridiculous pursuits. My only regret is that the edition I read (not the Penguin) had no footnotes at all and no explanation of background information. Even though the work is short, I'd recommend going with the Norton Critical Edition, or at least one that has some explanatory notes. It will greatly enrich your understanding. Of course, his book was super-popular because of its naughty content and criticisms. In the guise of his little "folly" play, everyone gets it at the hand of a master.

"Folly speaks: Whatever is generally said of me by mortal men, and I'm quite well aware that Folly is in poor repute even amongst the greatest fools, still, I am the one - and indeed the only one - whose divine powers can gladden the hearts of gods and men." So begins the greatest book written in the long convoluted history of man... If you've ever thought you screwed up somewhere or your whole life was one giant slip on the banana peel read this book to discover the inner idiot savant within... Proof enough that the world is filled with fools is the fact that I am the first one to review this ultimate treatise on the human condition... War and Peace, The Bible, Moby Dick, The Great Gatsby, Ulysses, The Communist Manifesto, Plato, Socrates and especially all those who lay special claim to be called personifications of Wisdom are crushed under the heals of Folly... [1] "For great orators must spend time preparing long speeches and even then find it difficult to succeed in banishing care and trouble from your minds, but I've done this at once-and simply by my looks." Everything you once thought of as ignoble will be turned upside down and made into a virtue... drunkenness, ignorance, self-love, flattery, forgetfulness, idleness, pleasure, madness, sensuality, revelry and sound sleep... [9] "This, then, is my household which serves me loyally in bringing the whole world under my sway, so that even great rulers have to bow to my rule." This book is the perfect antidote to all those pointless self help books, psychotherapies and/or Chicken Soup-Anthony Robbins unlimited power tapes... Throw out everything you know or think you know... Everything you know is wrong... Learn what great advantages Folly brings to gods and men alike, and how far her divinity extends... [35] "Those who strive after wisdom are the furthest from happiness; they are in fact doubly stupid simply because they ignore the fact that they were born men... they try to adopt the life of the immortal gods... with the sciences for their engines of war... Heavens above, doesn't the happiest group of people comprise those popularly called idiots, fools, nitwits, simpletons?.. All splendid names according to my way of thinking." This book was written on the back of a horse for no particular reason five hundred years ago... Buy it Now! ..

A tour de force of devastating satire and literary virtuosity it's no wonder that as a critic Erasmus was befriended by few and feared by many in his time . . running the gamut from monks to philosophers Erasmus lines them up for a verbal thrashing that's never less than hilarious, but more importantly "Praise of Folly" reminds us what it is to be human to be deluded and to have a balanced perspective of who we are and the world we live in and for that it's a profound revelation . . . highly recommended

Most Amusing highlight: the life of a "filthy" friar

Quoth Erasmus: ". . . it's the sponges, pimps, robbers, murderers, peasants, morons, debtors and that sort of scum of the earth who provide the glories of war, not the philosophers and their midnight oil." Need we say more?

In this brilliant satirical work, Folly gives a speech in praise of herself. the first 80% or so has a very ironic tone as Folly "praises" ignorance, various vices, and various classes of people whom she claims as her followers (most notably, the Roman Catholic traditions, superstitions, clergy, and theologians of Erasmus' day). The final portion is in a more serious tone as Folly genuinely praises "the folly of the cross" (I Corinthians 1:18) and the accessibility of true faith to even the simplest of people (I Corinthians 1:6).

The sarcasm was entertaining and thought-provoking, and the final section on the foolishness of the cross was a good reminder of the true simplicity of the Gospel. Even though I would disagree with Erasmus on plenty of theological & sociological points, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Just a word of warning: don't try reading this without footnotes unless you are really up on your Greek/Roman mythology and philosophy and Renaissance theology.

Before he died, Erasmus wrote in his Catalogue of Works "I wrote my light-hearted Praise of Folly while staying with Thomas More, having at that time returned from Italy - a work of which I thought so little that I did not even reckon it worth publication ... in spite of which, hardly anything of mine has had a more enthusiastic reception, especially among the great."

It's not amazing that the essay enhanced his reputation "among the great", i.e., the other intellectuals that he respected, but in retrospect it is almost amazing that Erasmus was not killed for writing this essay that strongly criticises the Establishment and society of his time. Despite his introduction stating that the essay was not to be taken seriously, he used it as a vehicle to depict and condemn the corruption, greed, ignorance, vanity - in a word, folly - of princes, "divine doctors" (teachers at schools of higher learning), priests, monks, bishops and popes. Erika Rummel commented: "The essay was immensely popular with humanists but evoked sharp criticism in clerical circles. ... Critics immediately cried `Heresy!' and the book ended up on the Index of Prohibited Books. But Erasmus protested his good intentions: `You can find a good many people whose religious sense is so distorted that they find the most serious blasphemies against Christ more bearable than the slightest joke on pope or prince, especially if it touches their daily bread.' ... The Praise of Folly was first published in 1511. By Erasmus' death in 1536 there were thirty-six Latin editions and translations into Czech, French and German. ... The book remains Erasmus' most popular work today." The distribution of the book greatly benefited from the printing press, conveniently invented a half-century beforehand.

Erasmus greatly understates the sharpness of his criticism: it is no innocent "joke on pope" to write that the Popes were "the most diligent of all others in gathering in the harvest of money" and in delegating their apostolic responsibilities to their underlings. "... [S]carcely any kind of men live more voluptuously...". Erasmus spells out that popes are warmongers and that the deadliest enemies of the Church are "the wicked prelates".

That Erasmus did not suffer greatly for his piercing words is partly because he was deeply established as a learned, internationally respected priest and sincere Christian who loved his Church but wished to reform its members. More importantly, the Church in 1511 was still in the torpor of its unquestioned world dominance, before Luther would shake it awake and before such writing led to torture and a torturous death. The timing could not have been closer: Luther delivered his 95 theses in late 1517, by which time "The Praise of Folly" had been widely distributed. Erasmus was keenly aware that his efforts at internal reform would evaporate if he aligned himself with this new German rebel.

When Erasmus criticises the monks who spout out pointless psalms, he is most concerned about the poor quality, not the quantity. He himself liked to quip and was renowned for his Adages. In this essay he cites the Law of Feasts: Either drink or begone! Or "...the truly prudent man should not be wise beyond his condition, but either take no notice of what the world does, or run with it for company"; otherwise he will be very lonely. It helps to be a fool to know how to "command or obey fools". "If a stone falls upon a man's head, that's evil indeed; but dishonesty, infamy, villainy, ill reports carry no more hurt in them than a man is sensible of; and if a man has no sense of them, they are no longer evils." The Philosophers say "it is a miserable thing for a man to be foolish, to err, mistake, and know nothing truly. Nay rather this is to be a man ... such is the common condition of all of us."

Despite his recognising the folly of all people, Erasmus clearly does not include himself in the set of clerics criticised. He makes no pretence of false-modesty; he is attacking "some" of the clergy and professors, which he implied to mean most of them. He was also attacking idiots who had bothered him; some of his examples allowed an informed contemporary reader to identify the individuals targeted. Erasmus repeats the humanist criticism of scholastics that made citations out of context and thereby twisted their meaning.

What I enjoyed most of the book was the open, playful erudition of this historically phenomenal intellectual, this man who embodied Renaissance Humanism and who unintentionally helped bring about radical reformation. Erasmus claims that Themistocles avoided a popular revolt by telling the people a fable about "the Fox and the Hedgehog" (see footnote below). It is disappointing that even the finest mind of the time was not able to see above contemporary anti-Semitism (the Jews are "obstinate" for not accepting Christ) and misogyny (Erasmus is dripping with contempt). Erasmus denounces the lack of charity of his enemies but is singularly uncharitable towards Jews and women.

A modern translation of Erasmus' essay is certainly worth reading, but if you only have time to read one Erasmus book and want to get a good feel for his life and writing, then I would recommend instead "The Erasmus Reader" edited by Erika Rummel.

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Footnote: A fox was lying in a ravine, being eaten by ticks. A hedgehog that happened by took pity on him, and asked him if he want him to remove the ticks from him. When he said no, the hedgehog asked why. He replied that these ticks were already full and drank little blood; if new ones were to come, they would suck all the blood that the fox had left. The fable is narrated in a reported speech, as an example given by Aesop to the Samians, who were judging a demagogue, so that they would not condemn him to death. ... Erasmus varies the context, putting the fable into Themosticles' mouth instead of Aesop's. From Fransico Rodríguez Adrados "History of the Graeco-Latin Fable".Isaiah Berlin's essay about the Hedgehog and the Fox was however inspired by Archilochus: the fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing.

The Praise Of Folly skewers institutions and culture in a way that must have been astounding in the late 15th and early 16th century when it was written and first read. Erasmus was embraced by the secular and religious authorities regardless of his writing. The genius of his approach in the age of the court jester who could say things to powerful people that no one else dare was to use the person of Folly in much the same way as the narrator of this satire of the world around him. This particular edition is very special because it also has a wonderful introduction to Erasmus' life and work by the author Hendrick Willen Van Loon who was a Dutch-American writer in the mid 20th century. His brief and amusing introduction places Erasmus firmly within context and does so with humor and insight into his relevance to his contemporaries. I stumbled on this in a used book shop and thoroughly enjoyed it.