The Praise of Folly Themes

One of the core arguments of The Praise of Folly is the idea that humanity’s conventional understanding of foolishness and wisdom is flipped. Written from the perspective of Folly, the essay aims defend to folly from those who might condemn it, suggesting that fools often act more wisely than the wise, and that the wise often behave more foolishly than fools. For instance, Folly asks her readers to consider the things that scholars sacrifice…

In many ways, The Praise of Folly functions as a social critique of Erasmus’s time. Through the guise of eulogizing folly, Erasmus allows himself to point out the various ways in which almost everyone in the world is foolish, especially those in power. However, while Erasmus sees folly as a remedy for the struggles of life, it’s more problematic in the case of Kings and Princes. Erasmus argues that, were Kings and Princes to…

A major theme in The Praise of Folly is the folly of rhetoric, or the art of persuasive speaking.  While rhetoric itself is not inherently malevolent or corrupt, Erasmus, through the voice of Folly, demonstrates how rhetoric, with its aim to persuade audiences through the manipulation of language, is another way that humans engage with folly in their daily life. In her speech, Folly begins her examination of rhetoric by focusing on its…