Praise Of Folly

Folly goes on to show that she is responsible for many areas of human endeavor. For example, the common people are more swayed by foolish fables than by the arguments of philosophers. Politicians reveal foolish tendencies when they attempt to woo a crowd for votes and fame. The foolish public often elevates unworthy figures to a quasi-divine status. The thirst for illusory and empty fame also spurs artists to produce their creations.

Folly shows that prudence and folly are connected. Wise men who are restrained in their actions are often timid and fearful, whereas fools act recklessly and acquire true prudence through experience.

Everyone exercises prudence in different ways throughout life, putting on different masks like actors in a play. Thus, the ability to adapt to conditions as they are and to know human limitations denotes true prudence.

Folly now attempts to prove that no one can become wise without her guidance. Although Stoic philosophers shun the emotions and exalt reason, it remains true that emotions stimulate good deeds. In fact, the idea of a human being who experiences neither passion nor emotion is an unrealistic ideal. Such a person would be “a bore,” and the fool is much preferable. Folly also claims that the wise are more likely to commit suicide.

Thanks to Folly, old men and women live in blissful foolishness, trying to act young. Living in this way is not a delusion nor a misery; it is a natural part of human nature and should be welcomed and understood as such.

The search for knowledge is an obstacle to happiness and the “greatest curse.” Most learned professions are allied to foolishness; even the medical and legal professions consist of little more than flattery, and they are highly remunerative professions, in contrast to theology: “The happier branches of knowledge are those which are more nearly related to folly” (53). The happiest people are those who have no learning at all but “have Nature alone for a teacher” (53).

Man is “unfortunate” because he tries to go beyond his natural limitations. It is far better to live within nature’s limitations than to try to be like gods. “[I]diots, fools, nitwits, [and] simpletons” (55) make up the happiest class of people. They have no fear of death, no pangs of conscience, and no anxiety about the future. Further, they sing and laugh and bring joy and laughter to others, thus relieving the sadness of life.

Kings and rulers demand the presence of fools because, unlike wise men, they are amusing (and because they speak the truth without guile and without giving offense. Fools live a happy life and when they die, they go to the idyllic Elysian fields. In contrast, the wise man is thrifty, poor, unhealthy, unpopular, and prematurely aged.

Madness is not necessarily a disaster when it befalls human beings. Insanity appears in two ways: One comes from heaven as a punishment for wrongdoing while the other kind is desirable, a gift of Folly. This kind of happy delusion “frees the soul from its anxious cares” (59).

Folly believes that all human beings possess a little bit of insanity. For example, people who are obsessed with hunting, rebuilding their home, alchemy, or gambling are all a bit insane.

Folly counts as her own those who delight in miracles, “fictitious marvels,” and ghost stories, as well as anyone who places superstitious stock by saints’ icons and relics, thinking they guarantee immunity from various harms. Similar to these believers are people who put their faith in indulgences, or purchased remissions of the temporal punishment of sins. Folly also includes people who treat prayers as “magic verses” that can be repeated like an incantation to get a desired result and individuals who are over-concerned with their own funerals as members of her tribe.

Just as ridiculous are simple people who make claims to nobility and people who fancy themselves to have great talent when they have none. National chauvinism, where every nation thinks itself the best at something particular, is also foolish.

Folly identifies these claims as self-flattery and the flattery of others, also known as fawning. Self-flattering and fawning behaviors have a certain pleasantness of manner and derives from “a sort of ingenuous goodness of heart” (70). This particular gift of Folly “makes everyone more agreeable and likeable to himself” (70) and thus contributes to happiness.

True happiness depends more on what a person thinks than with the actual facts. The advantage of this kind of happiness is that it costs less than the effort to acquire facts, which can be difficult and tedious. Thus, a happy illusion is often more desirable than the truth.

Folly fills human beings with a “perpetual intoxication” that is strong and long-lasting. Folly’s gifts are evenly bestowed, unlike those of the other gods. Furthermore, she does not demand prayers or sacrifices nor does she lose her temper if human beings fail to do everything perfectly. At the same time, Folly admits to being surprised that people do not offer sacrifices or erect temples to her. Yet she does not mind, because people already “worship” her in their own way, by living their lives according to her dictates. Unlike other gods, her domain is universal.