Why We Should Embrace the Wisdom of The Fool

“I know that I know nothing.” -Socrates

“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” — Shunryu Suzuki

In the Major Arcana of the Tarot, The Fool has the number (or non-number) 0. The Fool is also associated with various mythical and historic archetypes such as clowns, court jesters, and trickster gods.

By definition, a fool is an anti-intellectual or at least non-intellectual character. He/She (The Fool is generally seen as androgynous) is not stupid or ignorant but completely open-minded and tends to approach life in an intuitive, present-oriented way.

Socrates’ quip about knowing nothing is often quoted but seldom respected. It’s interesting that one of the founders of the Western intellectual tradition would claim ignorance rather than wisdom. This idea is also found in the Zen notion of “beginner’s mind,” popularized in modern times by Shunryu Suzuki, who wrote Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind.

These ideas are hardly novel. However, they are very much at odds with the modern intellectual worldview held by mainstream science, academia, and journalism. The prevailing assumption is closer to “I know everything” (or at least a great deal) rather than nothing.

With all of the colorful and creative ways to insult others, consider how often words like “stupid,” “moron,” and “idiot” are found on the internet, often in response to someone questioning either conventional…