The Praise of Folly: Second Edition (Yale Nota Bene)

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Genre: Renaissance and Humanist philosophy; Religious; Latin; Philosophy; Philosophy / Religious; General;

Average Review: 4 stars

Review: A modest disclaimer : It is not wisdom to be always wise, and on the inward vision close the eyes That is Santayana's wisdom. To play with it a bit ," It is not foolish always to be a fool, and on the outward shows and games of mankind make endless mockery. For who is the fool in the one place we are all to go?" I remember reading this work in graduate school. A dutiful plodder wondering why I was not laughing out loud and being so amused. Rather I was falling asleep inside and finding the dull complaints of Erasmus a kind of spiritless exercise in predictable dumping on all things. Alas, I am usually apologetic about not understanding works generations of mankind consider classics. But in this case I will make a modest disclaimer. This one is not in my eyes a great one, not even a very good one. And now to another complaint. The great tolerant Erasmus who could see the folly of human greed and vanity and prejudice everywhere was himself quite vain and greed and prejudiced in regard to one very small minority of 'Europeans' who can claim to be the most persecuted people in the history of mankind. Why should I sing the praises of someone who hates me? The bootsteps of Nazism march to the tune that Erasmus and Voltaire the two great ' liberators' of European mankind sing. I have no praise for Erasmus folly and his wickedness in this.