Viva La Folly – Erasmus and Florian Braakman

Erasmus wanted to make better persons of people. In his Praise of Folly, Erasmus therefore ridiculed the whole of mankind. Eight photographers from Rotterdam show that mankind hasn’t changed a bit in all the hundreds of years that have passed since then. This is part four of eight: Florian Braakman.

The famous thinker Desiderius Erasmus (whose 550th birth date we celebrate this year in Rotterdam) was quite critical about the behaviour of his fellow man. In his writings, he wanted to put people back on the right track again. He drew on the mental legacy of the Greek and Roman classics. His most stinging critique on society is in his satiric book Praise of Folly. A very smart book: by commenting through Folly, instead of writing on his own account, he could express himself much more fully.

About five hundred years later, eight photographers from Rotterdam pick up where Erasmus’ Praise of Folly left off. For you better believe it: folly is still amongst us.

more folly

That great and powerful beast, the people, is led by ridiculous and childish fables.

Folly frees you from fear and shame.

Fiction and pretence fix the people’s attention.

The more idiotic it is, the more admirers it gains.