Today is Erasmus, one of the greatest thinkers of the Netherlands, his birthday. Erasmus was a famous scholar who lived from 1466 to 1537. He was a humanist, philosopher, monk and writer. He was way ahead of his time with his views on women, war and the Christian faith.
The themes that Erasmus deals with in his work are still very influential today. His call for tolerance and forbearance is something that is still alive in our society. This means that Erasmus's ideas are still current to this day.
Praise of Folly
Erasmus wrote many letters and books in his time, mainly didactic in nature. He writes about etiquette in Good manners seden and on Latin proverbs in the Adagia. He writes a special handbook for Christians, the Enchiridion. His most famous book is Praise of Folly. Erasmus actually wrote this work for the amusement of himself and his friend Thomas More. The book is set up as a satire. But for those who read carefully, there is a serious undertone.
Praise of Folly stems from Erasmus' irritation at various idiosyncrasies in his environment. For example, he is disturbed by the carelessness of scholars and the lust for power of clergy. In Praise of Folly he denounces these inconsistencies. He defends the position of the woman by arguing that she is equal to the man. He also calls for tolerance instead of warfare. He also pleads for an inner life of faith instead of religious display.
Erasmus wants to encourage people to think with his book. He holds up a mirror to the world, as it were. Now, of course, if he wants to maintain his own good reputation, he can't kick holy houses with impunity. By in Praise of Folly assuming a fool as a speaker, Erasmus can anonymously mock human follies and institutions. Because he makes use of sharp allegories, the institutions concerned cannot personally address Erasmus about this. After all, it is 'the Fool' who speaks, not Erasmus himself. In this way he surreptitiously expresses his criticism of science, the king and the church.
The social consequences of Praise of Folly go much further than Erasmus probably envisioned. His book makes a lot of sense. Erasmus is criticized from Rome because with Praise of Folly paving the way for the reform of the Catholic Church. Although Erasmus partly agrees with the reformer Luther about the limitations of the Catholic Church, he finds Luther's ideas too radical. They restrict people too much in their freedom of choice. Erasmus believes that people should have the freedom to choose. He calls on Catholics and Protestants to tolerate each other's views.