What is Foolishness?
[[File:Giotto- The Seven Vices - Foolishness.JPG|thumb|right|''Stultitia'' by [[Giotto]]—from his [[fresco]] of seven [[virtue]]s and their opposite [[vice]]s. ''Stultitia'' (folly) was shown as the opposite of ''Prudentia'' ([[wikt:prudence|prudence]]).]] '''Foolishness''' is when someone acts without [[wisdom]] or [[Common sense|sense]]. A foolish decision is one made without careful [[reason]]ing or [[judgement]]. An act of foolishness is called '''folly'''. A person who shows foolishness may be called a '''fool'''. It is different to [[stupidity]], which is the lack of [[intelligence]].<ref>{{citation |title=Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid |author=Robert J. Sternberg |chapter=Smart People Are Not Stupid, But They Sure Can Be Foolish |pages=232 et seq |publisher=Yale University Press |year=2003 |isbn=9780300101706}}</ref> A ''fool's errand'' is a useless piece of work. A ''fool's paradise'' a happy state for which there is no good reason. The ''wise fool'' is a common literary character, a person who appears at first to be unintelligent but then reveals him or herself to possess a grest deal of wisdom. An example of this is Sancho Panza in Cervantes' ''[[Don Quixote]]''. Sancho is an uneducated peasant who at first seems to have little sense or experience. However, as the tale unfolds, he reveals himself to possess a wealth of common sense, first expressed through endless [[proverb]]s, but then through his own skill. In this sense he provides a comic juxtaposition to Quixote himself, who is highly educated but insane; both of them supply what the other lacks. == References == {{reflist}} == Related pages == {{wiktionary|foolish}} * [[Silliness]] [[Category:Knowledge]] [[Category:Basic English 850 words]] {{stub}}