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    In Praise of Folly by Erasmus Summary

    In Praise of Folly
    Erasmus
    3.83 (19852 Reviews)
    Philosophy
    Politics
    History
    Overview
    Key Takeaways
    Author
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    Overview of In Praise of Folly

    Erasmus's satirical masterpiece, where Folly herself mocks human folly and religious corruption. With 24,000 copies in its first run, this Renaissance bombshell helped spark the Protestant Reformation. What sacred cow would this witty intellectual skewer in today's world?

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    "Perfect balance between learning and entertainment. Finished ‘Thinking, Fast and Slow’ on my commute this week."

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    "Reading used to feel like a chore. Now it’s just part of my lifestyle."

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    "Feels effortless compared to reading. I’ve finished 6 books this month already."

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    Key Takeaways

    1

    When the Fool Speaks Truth

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    Picture a jester stepping onto a stage in 1511, bells jingling, ready to deliver the most dangerous speech of the Renaissance. But this fool isn't just any entertainer-she's Folly herself, come to praise her own virtues before a European audience hungry for change. Within weeks, "In Praise of Folly" sold thousands of copies, an unprecedented success that would help ignite the Protestant Reformation. Written in just seven days while Erasmus recovered from illness at Thomas More's home, this slim volume became so controversial the Catholic Church banned it, yet so beloved that Benjamin Franklin quoted it regularly centuries later. What made a satirical monologue by the personification of foolishness so explosively influential? Because sometimes truth arrives not through solemn philosophy but through laughter-and sometimes the wisest voice in the room belongs to the one wearing the cap and bells.

    2

    The Unlikely Revolutionary and His Weapon of Wit

    3

    The Uncomfortable Wisdom of Natural Fools

    4

    Society's Elaborate Costume Party

    5

    The Sacred Absurdities of Religious Life

    6

    The Highest Folly: Divine Paradox

    7

    Why We Still Need Folly's Laughter