From the book
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volumes I–II
Joseph Joubert · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Folly
folie; fou
Folie and fou range across play, mistaken opinions and claims about illness; the same English equivalent cannot safely explain every occurrence.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordFolie and fou range across play, mistaken opinions and claims about illness; the same English equivalent cannot safely explain every occurrence.
- In JoubertThe follies of witty men may be games with wisdom, not the follies of fools.
- In this editionThe English translation differentiates folly and madness contextually while retaining repeated mad in the Diderot fragment.
- A place to beginSome folly is playful commerce with wisdom.
- English renderings
- folly; fool; mad; madness
Meaning
Folie and fou range across play, mistaken opinions and claims about illness; the same English equivalent cannot safely explain every occurrence.
Use in the book
The follies of witty men may be games with wisdom, not the follies of fools. The Diderot fragment likewise locates madness in opinions while denying that the head itself is mad. The theatrical discussion quotes Geoffroy calling Orestes’ frenzy a disease of soul rather than brain, and Joubert applies that distinction to performance. Another maxim calls madness a brain disease rather than a disease of mind. The difference of settings and the changing âme/esprit terms must remain visible. These are historical judgments and images, not a coherent diagnostic system or grounds for assigning a modern illness to any named person.
Places to read
- I, p. 436, entry 1, ¶1Some folly is playful commerce with wisdom.
- II, p. 706, entry 6, ¶1Diderot’s opinions are distinguished from the condition of his head.
- II, p. 610, entry 2, ¶1A theatrical quotation distinguishes soul and brain.
- II, p. 883, entry 3, ¶1A separate maxim distinguishes disease of brain from disease of mind.
Translation in this edition
The English translation differentiates folly and madness contextually while retaining repeated mad in the Diderot fragment. The Orestes claim is quoted from Geoffroy; Joubert’s conditional account of Montfleury’s death does not establish deliberate suicide or independently verify the event.
Source note
Beaunier 1938, I, pp. 436; II, pp. 610, 706, 883.
From the book
Centuries of Meditations
Thomas Traherne · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Folly
folly; foolish misvaluation; unreasonable conduct
Folly is a failure of sound judgement expressed in conduct.
Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordFolly is a failure of sound judgement expressed in conduct.
- In TraherneTo despise benefits because they are already possessed is irrational even if society admires the substitute treasures.
- In this editionFolly is evaluative, not a diagnosis of intellectual disability.
- A place to beginInventing new treasures while neglecting present benefits is condemned as folly.
Meaning
Folly is a failure of sound judgement expressed in conduct. It may coexist with cleverness, industry, or conventional approval, and is not simply a lack of information.
Use in the book
To despise benefits because they are already possessed is irrational even if society admires the substitute treasures. Folly therefore names an inversion of value that defeats the agent’s own happiness. The philosopher’s-stone comparison adds a practical test: supposedly possessing the highest good while refusing to use it exposes an absurdity. The cure requires both clearer apprehension and an altered life. Calling the world a place of madmen is accordingly joined to the responsibility to heal through pity and love.
Places to read
In this edition
Folly is evaluative, not a diagnosis of intellectual disability. The medical metaphors elsewhere in the argument describe damaged judgement and conduct within Traherne’s moral rhetoric.