Foolishness is rarely a matter of lack of intelligence or even

"Foolishness is rarely a matter of lack of intelligence or even lack of information." — John McCarthy

In this piercing reflection, the great computer scientist John McCarthy, father of artificial intelligence, spoke a truth that stretches far beyond the realm of machines and mathematics — a truth about the heart of humanity itself. Foolishness, he reminds us, is not born of ignorance alone. It is not simply the absence of intelligence or information that leads a person astray, but the failure to use what one knows rightly. For knowledge is abundant, yet wisdom is scarce. Men may hold libraries in their hands and still stumble into folly, blinded not by darkness, but by pride, arrogance, or fear.

Consider this deeply: throughout history, the world has never lacked intelligence. Empires have risen with philosophers, engineers, and scientists in their service. Yet they have fallen, destroyed not by stupidity, but by moral blindness — by the refusal to listen, the stubbornness of ego, the corruption of the soul. The foolish man is often not the ignorant one, but the one who knows what is right and refuses to act upon it. Wisdom is not a question of intellect, but of alignment — of bringing the light of the mind into harmony with the truth of the heart.

Let us recall the tale of King Rehoboam, son of Solomon, in the ancient days of Israel. When the people came to him pleading for mercy, he had all the knowledge he could desire — the wisdom of his father’s legacy, the counsel of elders, the testimony of history itself. Yet he ignored the voices of the wise and listened instead to the flattery of youth and pride. He increased the burdens of his people, and in a single moment of arrogance, the kingdom his father built was torn apart. This was not the foolishness of ignorance, but of willful blindness — the arrogance that refuses to see even when the light burns before it.

In the same way, modern man stands at the height of information. The stars’ distances are measured, the atom is split, the genome unraveled. Yet wars persist, greed endures, and deceit multiplies. Why? Because foolishness is not cured by information. It dwells in the spirit, not the data. The internet may feed the mind, but it cannot heal the soul. We build machines that learn, yet forget to learn ourselves. The wise man understands that intelligence is a tool — it sharpens action but cannot define it. Without conscience, reason becomes a sword wielded by a blind hand.

McCarthy’s insight is also a warning. In an age where the mind is glorified but the heart is neglected, foolishness has found new disguises. It wears the face of logic divorced from compassion, of cleverness without humility, of argument without listening. The fool today is not always the one who knows little, but the one who knows much and believes himself above error. Thus, wisdom begins not with brilliance, but with humility — the willingness to admit that one’s knowledge is never complete, and that truth requires both intellect and grace.

The ancients taught that the path to wisdom is the balance of the head and the heart. To know and to feel rightly — this is the measure of the truly wise. The philosopher who ignores empathy becomes as cold as a machine, while the dreamer who despises reason drifts into delusion. The wise person holds both in harmony: clarity of thought, purity of intention. Foolishness, then, is not merely a flaw of the mind but a fracture of the soul — when thought and virtue fall out of step, when intelligence serves the self instead of the truth.

So, my friends, let this be your lesson: Do not mistake knowledge for wisdom. Seek not only to learn, but to understand. Do not hoard information like gold, but use it as a lamp to guide your path. When you speak, let your words be tempered by kindness. When you act, let your logic be balanced by compassion. The world is full of intelligence — what it needs is integrity. And remember, as McCarthy warned us: foolishness is not the absence of knowing, but the absence of seeing. Therefore, open not just your eyes, but your heart — for only then will knowledge become light, and light become life.