Ship of fools

The ship of fools is an allegory, originating from Plato, that has long been a fixture in Western literature and art. The allegory or parable depicts a vessel without a pilot, taken over by force or persuasion by those who are deranged, frivolous, or oblivious, and seemingly ignorant of their course. This mob is willing to kill anyone in the way, and to drug the captain if necessary. The true pilot, that knows the stars, the wind, and how to stay on course, is considered useless by the mob. The allegory is compared to how a philosopher is rejected by the state.

The concept makes up the framework of the 15th century book Ship of Fools (1494) by Sebastian Brant, which served as the inspiration for Hieronymous Bosch's famous painting, Ship of Fools: a ship—an entire fleet at first—sets off from Basel, bound for the Paradise of Fools. In literary and artistic compositions of the 15th and 16th centuries, the cultural motif of the ship of fools also served to parody the 'ark of salvation' as the Catholic Church was styled.

Ship of Fools (disambiguation)

Ship of fools is an allegory that has long been a fixture in Western literature and art.

Ship of Fools may refer to:

Literature

Art

Film and television

Ship of Fools (Robert Plant song)

"Ship of Fools" is a rock song performed by English rock singer Robert Plant. It was the second single released from his 1988 album Now and Zen, following "Heaven Knows". It reached number 76 on the UK singles chart, number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. It was Plant's tenth top-ten solo hit on the Mainstream Rock chart.

The song was written by Plant and keyboardist Phil Johnstone, who also co-produced Now and Zen. In an allmusic review of Now and Zen, reviewer Vik Iyengar singles "Ship of Fools" out for praise, calling the song a "lovely ballad" that demonstrates Plant's "vocal subtlety."

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