In Praise of Folly

[ in preyz uhv fol-ee ]

noun

1. Latin Moriae Encomium, a prose satire (1509) by Erasmus, written in Latin and directed against theologians and church dignitaries.

Example Sentences

The Praemium Erasmianum Foundation said in a statement that Noah, 39, was receiving the prize “for his inspired contribution to the theme ‘In Praise of Folly,’ named after Erasmus’s most famous book, which is filled with humor, social criticism and political satire.”

From Seattle Times

Erasmus, a Dutch humanist of the Renaissance best known for his ironic essay "In Praise of Folly," would have been appalled at such a grotesque misappropriation of his name.

From Salon

It runs a popular confidence workshop and publishes a guide, On Confidence, that draws on the wisdom of Erasmus’s 1509 essay In Praise of Folly, and suggests that a willingness not only to be vulnerable but also to be a fool is crucial to evolving greater self-worth.

From The Guardian

Since the 1990s, Mr. Dell’Utri’s foundation has published the Library of Utopia, an Italian series reissuing classics, including “Utopia,” Erasmus’ “In Praise of Folly,” Marx and Engels’s “The Communist Manifesto” and Carlo Collodi’s “The Adventures of Pinocchio.”

From New York Times

Miller was so spendthrift with himself, and so loud in praise of folly, that he laid himself open to every charge.

From Time Magazine Archive