Praise Of Folly

“How unjust it is to allow every other walk of life its relaxations but none at all to learning, especially when trifling may lead to something more serious!” 

In his Prefatory Letter, Erasmus explains that his purpose in writing Praise of Folly is to divert himself from his scholarly work. He also hints at a central premise of the book, namely that serious purposes can be at work in something ostensibly lighthearted. This serious purpose will become clear in the final section of the book, when Erasmus addresses the foolish behaviors of Christians.

“[Y]ou 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.” 

In the Prefatory Letter, Erasmus hints at his critique of churchmen as overly invested in the ecclesiastical power structure. This misplaced enthusiasm leads churchmen to forget their core purpose, namely, to serve Christ. Such clerics are in holy orders mainly for themselves and their own well-being.

“I am the one—and indeed the only one—whose divine powers can gladden the hearts of gods and men.” 

On the very first page of the Declamation, Folly declares her power to make human beings happy, which she will expand upon throughout the book. The “divine” nature of her powers will become more explicit in the final sections of the book.