The statement above is paradoxical. How can a wise man regard himself as a fool? But on closer examination, this contradiction will be seen to resolve itself. It is sheer arrogance and the height of pedantry for a man to think that he has grasped the entire wisdom of the world. The extent of knowledge is indeed vast, and to master it all is not possible for any human being. If, therefore, anyone believes that he has attained perfect mastery over the world’s lore and wisdom, he is merely deceiving himself. Wisdom consists in having a thorough grasp of all the available knowledge and the ability to make the right use of that knowledge. Nobody can be perfectly wise in this sense. Thus only a fool will think that he is wise and conversely it is a sign of wisdom to admit that one is a fool.
To expect a wise man to think him a fool, is, therefore, to efface all distinctions between folly and wisdom. The statement under this discussion is thus exaggerated and not entirely truthful. It is right to say that a wise man is he who confesses his imperfection but it is an over-statement to assert that he thinks himself a fool. Considered broadly and metaphorically, therefore, the saying conveys a truth but interpreted literally and rigidly it is absurd.
Vocabulary
Contradiction—contrast
Efface—rub out
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