Are the Elves Foolish?

Originally Posted by Elmo

haha that's hilarious, i'll my tomfoolery to minimum in the future

This thread is fast becoming "Are Hobbits Foolish?"

Originally Posted by Farael

Therefore, I would say, saying both "yes and no" is not evidence of foolishness but rather proof of true understanding.

What them would you say of Elrond when he said his heart was against the going of 2 Hobbits with the Company? On what basis of logic did he make that decision? He quite clearly had his mind made up before Gandalf reasoned with him. In this case a yes or no scenario between these great Loremasters was devised, yet you say Gildor will not yield with doing the same?

[Meriadoc1961]

I don't know if one can say that ALL elves are wise or ALL elves are foolish. Some are wise, and some are not so wise. Should we say the elves who let Bilbo and the Dwarves escape through the trap door acted wisely by getting drunk? Or should we say they acted foolish? Or should we say that in that case they behaved foolishly, just as they behaved foolishly by singing a song that poked fun of Thorin and Co. and mentioned Bilbo and keyholes as Gandalf, Bilbo and the Dwarves descended into the valley of Rivendell?

Did Thranduil behave foolishly or act wisely by imprisoning Thorin and the Dwarves?

Did Thranduil not show wisdom and compassion by helping the people of Lake Town after Smaug's attack?

Since I am sounding like an Elf myself by saying both yea and nay, I will now offer my opinion: As a general rule I believe the Elves are a wise people, and their leaders, at least by the end of the Third Age, are among the wisest of all individuals.

Merry

[Farael]

Originally Posted by Mansun

What them would you say of Elrond when he said his heart was against the going of 2 Hobbits with the Company? On what basis of logic did he make that decision? He quite clearly had his mind made up before Gandalf reasoned with him. In this case a yes or no scenario between these great Loremasters was devised, yet you say Gildor will not yield with doing the same?

Ah, but it is not the same scenario... not only was Elrond talking to Gandalf, but He was the one in charge of making the choice. It was decided that Elrond would decide whom he'd send along with Frodo and Sam, therefore he wasn't offering advice, he was making a choice.

Gandalf, on the other hand, is a) not an elf and b) offering advice on the basis of what "his heart" tells him rather than logic. If logic would have been heeded and Merry and Pippin sent back, it is true that the Ring may not have been destroyed, but conversely if it HAD been destroyed anyway, The Shire may have not been scoured