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Critiquing Society through In Praise of Folly
It may seem strange to praise Folly, but there is one certain advantage to foolishness: the freedom to speak the truth. In Praise of Folly, Erasmus put this freedom to good use in reminding his readers, a society greatly corrupted by worldly concerns, that one cannot serve both God and Mammon. He smoothed over his satire by assuring us that "there is merit in being attacked by Folly" (7), and finished with the reminder that "it's Folly and a woman who's been speaking" (134), a disclaimer that allowed him to be as harsh as he needed to be in his criticism. He certainly found need for harshness, for the values he saw at the heart of Christianity, the compassion and sacrifice of the Scriptures, were everywhere overwhelmed by greed, ambition, and superstition. Donning the mask of Folly, Erasmus criticized the emerging bourgeois economic values, politics of hierarchy, and even Catholicism itself, and in the process he defended the conservative Christian ethic-which seems as Folly to the world.
Erasmus recognized that the values and economic system of Capitalism that were emerging along with the new bourgeois class were in many ways opposed to conservative Christianity, so merchants and their kind were included in the satirical attacks of Folly. He criticized many types of people for their devotion to Mammon: gamblers who "make shipwreck of their entire resources" (62), the man who "marries a dowry, not a wife" (76), or "thinks himself rich on loans and credit" (76), priests who seek to profit by their flocks (66), and of course the merchants themselves, "most foolish of all, and the meanest" (76). Erasmus pointed out their "lies, perjury, thefts, frauds, and deceptions" (76), wh...
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...ch are the wisdom of God that seems foolishness to men. He referred to Paul's teachings of the folly of the Gospel, asserting that "the Christian religion has a kind of kinship with folly in some form, though it has none at all with wisdom" (128). If "by stoic definition wisdom means nothing else but being ruled by reason; and folly, by contrast, is being swayed by the dictates of the passions" (29), then the central teaching of Christianity, love for God and one's neighbor, was truly akin to folly, for love is a passion. This love, along with compassion, sacrifice, and the other doctrines of Christian foolishness, was what Erasmus sought to defend in his criticism of a society corrupted in the service of Mammon rather than God.
Work Cited
Erasmus, D. 1511. In Praise of Folly. (Translated by L. Dean and republished by Hendricks House Farrar Straus. 1946.)
Use of Satire to Target Religion, Military, and Optimism in Voltaire's Candide. In his work, Candide, Voltaire uses satire as a means of conveying his opinions about many aspects of European society in the eighteenth century. Voltaire successfully criticizes religion, the military, and the philosophy of optimism. Religious leaders are the targets of satire throughout Candide.
Despite the problems that would arise, many people are beginning to feel that the drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one to eighteen. Studies have been made; however, no hard evidence suggesting lowering the minimum drinking age would help have surfaced. Although there are countless studies of how alcohol has many harmful effects on teenagers, there is a great deal of negative criticism about what if the drinking age is lowered. Some would say the morally right decision is to not allow teens the chance to hurt themselves. Everyone is entitled to having his or her own opinions and beliefs. However, the overall health of the youth of our country seems a little more important than some personal belief. The drinking age should not be lowered due to the fact drunk driving, juvenile delinquency, and alcohol-related medical issues related to teens will increase.
Religion in society has always been argued and has caused many disagreements between the people of the church and the people of the community and the church itself. Dating back to the 17th and 18th century, authors began speaking out about their views on hypocrisy and fanaticism of the religious body. Authors, Moliere and Voltaire began writing satirical stories expressing their views on the issues of religion. Moliere used his play, Tartuffe, to direct his readers to understand the hypocrisy and fanaticism he found within the religion.
Since it was impossible to tell if he knew his rights, Ernesto Miranda solidified the 5th amendment when his court conviction was over-turned in 1966 (McBride)”, which has effected every aspect of arrest ever since, by establishing rights of the accused and responsibilities of law enforcement officers (McBride). Miranda was arrested early march 3rd 1963. (McBride)” He was found guilty of rape and kidnapping (McBride). The women he had allegedly raped, said she was a virgin, which was disproved in trial (1966). The main piece of evidence was Miranda’s verbal and written confessions (McBride). The confessions were obtained during a 3-hour interrogation in which Miranda had no communication with an attorney (McBride). During this interrogation he was also falsely told he had been positively identified (1966). His conviction was over-turned in 1966 (McBride). The conviction was overturned when the Supreme Court ruled that his confession was obtained unconstitutionally (McBride). Something needed to change.
Shulgin then goes on to describe how he gave some of the drug to a friend who was about to retire from his career as a psychotherapist. Shulgin then began traveling the country introducing MDMA to other therapists and teaching them how to use it in their therapy (Saunders). All of the therapists Shulgin introduced the drug to began in the same way, taking the MDMA themselves (Saunders). The psychotherapists felt that they had no right to give a psychoactive drug to another person unless they themselves knew how the drug effected their own minds (Saunders). The testing going on between the therapists caused this drug to became readily available on the street as a recreational drug sometime during 1977 (Erowid). "Those first psychotherapists to use MDMA were keenly aware that they had found a valuable new tool." As one put it "MDMA is penicillin for the soul, and you don't give up prescribing penicillin, once you've seen what it can do (Saunders).
According to Center for Disease Control and Protection, about 4,700 people under age twenty one die from injuries involving underage drinking every year. Illegal alcohol consumption has been a major problem with high school students around the nation. Lowering the drinking age from twenty one would result in major consequences for America’s adolescents. By lowering the drinking age, alcohol would be more accessible to those who choose to participate in underage drinking. The desire to drink for teens and young adults between the ages of fourteen and twenty can be caused by peer pressure or an act of rebellion. One beer might not seem like a big deal at the time, but it could lead to a life of addiction and alcoholism.
The current drinking age in the United States of America is 21. There are some people who agree with the current drinking age even some who think it should be raised. On the other hand, a number of people feel that the current drinking age produces more problems than it prevents (“Cross Fire”). The United States has unsuccessfully tried prohibition legislation not once, but twice in the past. These laws were eventually done away with due to the inability to enforce and the repercussion towards them that ended up causing even more trials and tribulations (Engs). “Prohibition demonstrates beyond a doubt that drinking and the problems caused by drinking cannot simply be eliminated from the United States” (Olson). In the present day, the government is still reiterating the same mistakes that they made in past attempts (Engs). Research from the early 1980’s until present-day shows a decrease in per capita consumption instead, there has been an increase in other problems involving excessive and negligent drinking amongst college students after the twenty –one year old law in 1987 (Engs). The current drinking age of 21 is not effective and is causing other social problems. (Engs). This calls for us as a nation to change our existing drinking law.
Voltaire was born on November 21, 1964. In his life he published over 50 stories, including one of his most famous novels, Candide. Voltaire is a big satirist. Satire in the dictionary is defined as, “The use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues”(New Oxford American Dictionary). The story Candide is filled with satire against optimism, although, this is a target among many others. Voltaire also satirizes religion, politics, and war. His religious satire is present throughout the entire work. There are several examples of this mockery along with the reasons for Voltaire’s sarcasm.
Marijuana, or Cannabis, is a plant that has been in use since ancient times. Cannabis has had significant affects on history and societies throughout the years. It is a plant that can grow in any environment, with the exception of the Arctic Circle. Up until recent years the Cannabis plant has never been looked upon negatively. The debate on Cannabis has started again; with some people thinking that it should be legal and others thinking that it should stay illegal. It is time for people to see Cannabis as what it really is and not as what manipulative advertisements have shown it to be.
Individual rights did not change with the Miranda decision, however it created new constitutional guidelines for law enforcement, attorneys, and the courts. The guidelines ensure that the individual rights of the fifth, sixth and the fourteenth amendment are protected.
Pinckaers, Servais. The Source of Christian Ethics. Translated by Sr. Mary Thomas Noble. Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press, 1995.
Born in the year 354 on African soil, Augustine spent his earlier years in the care of his Christian mother, Monnica. He spent his time blissfully living the life of any normal child; doing mischievous deeds and remaining apathetic to life’s worries. He despised Greek education, and by extension, those who attempted to mandate a need to obtain one. But not for superficial reasons, rather, Augustine’s animosity towards his instructors was related to irrelevant subjects taught in the schools. According to him, Greek instructors failed to adequately expound on topics that hold honest meaning. One was fiction, which Augustine found to be quite contradictory to one who hoped to escape the sin of lying. However, Augustine did give positive feedback on Greek scholar’s inst...
In the Northern European Renaissance lived a scholar by the name of Erasmus. Erasmus was particularly concerned with the corruption going on within the Church. Since he was so intrigued by the abuses of the church, he decided to write an essay titled, “In Praise of Folly”. In this essay, Erasmus describes many different hypocritical actions and thoughts played out by the church. One of these included looking for guidance and intersession through statues, relics, specific prayers, idols, and saints. Erasmus did not this was necessary because it was only distraction someone from finding Jesus. One of the things the church did that Erasmus thought was hypocritical was being a part of Holy Orders. Erasmus saw this at hypocritical because though you were supposed to be humbled and help others, being a part of this typically only made one more self-absorbed. Most of the people in Holy Orders got consumed in the power and wealth received from being in this position, and forgot why they became a part of Holy Orders in the first place. Another issue Erasmus saw within the church had to do with the Pope. The Pope was supposed to be the leader of the church and a complete representation of Christ, yet the Pope was holding huge parties and spending ample amounts of money. Erasmus believed the church needed to reevaluate what it was doing and use the Spirit as guidance and defense instead...
...t recurring argument against his Christology. “It was man’s rational soul, with its power of choice, which was the seat of sin”; if the word is un-united with a human rational soul then the salvation of mankind is not achieved.
Throughout the course of history, there have come many eras of change and revolution in thought and practise, but none have been as momentous and influential in shaping the modern world as the period of Enlightenment that spread across Europe between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. With the rise of “enlightened” thought came the influx of new writers that brought forth new and stimulating ideas that caused quite a stir in conservative areas of the world. Widely acclaimed writers or philosophes, such as Voltaire, touched upon concerning and hypocritical social norms in satirical pieces in an effort to provide the public with honest commentary of how they saw the world. Next, there was Adam Smith, a writer who in many ways became the