Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 145

Chap.

§ 45.

II]

WISDOM

121

rate view of things, in conformity with

act with tact it

may

and with

As

discretion.

which

to choose

and

the result, therefore,

be stated that entirely apart from the development certain persons an aprioristic, not

science, there is in

of

acquired,

general insight,

which

in

its

efficient, practical

harmony with the reality of things. among your acquaintances you meet with but few

excellence shows itself in

But

if

who have

persons

them fools

and yet only

;

such an extent as to entitle "wise folk," all the others are not

this insight to

to the epithet of

this antithetical conception of foolish-

ness elucidates sufficiently the exact conception of wisdom.

A fool and a lunatic are not the same. An whose consciousness works in the wrong normal insight has become impossible for the other hand, is he whose consciousness but

who

man is he way, so that all him. A fool, on

insane

wor^ks normally,

himself stands so crookedly over against the reality

makes mistake upon mistake and conmakes the wrong move on the chess-board of life. He acts foolishly who makes an evident mistake in his representation of reality, and who in consequence of his of things, that he

stantly

noticeable lack of accurate insight, chooses the very thing

that will serve

him a wrong end. He and this accounts

relation to the reality,

lacks the proper for his mistakes.

Between these " wise folk " and these " fools " stands the great mass of humanity, who in all possible gradations form the transition from the wise to the foolish while among these general masses is found what used to be called a sound mind, common sense, le sens commun. This implies something that does not scale the heights of wisdom, but which, nevertheless, maintains a relation to it and offers a general basis for it. We grant that, more especially since the close ;

common sense " has been used synonymously with that analogous " public opinof the last century, this expression

ion " in which the itself,

and that

of Rationalism reflected

this spectre has repeatedly

banish idealism, to

mock

been evoked to

the faith, and to hush every nobler

was simjDle abuse. Originally, "common meant by no means the iteration of the program of

feeling; but this

sense "

weakened form

"

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