18-02-2017, 09:51 PM
The real Voynich issue are people (who sometimes should know better) randomly throwing out ideas without bothering to look at the manuscript as a whole.
Take that recent Mexican astronomer who got himself into the papers suggesting that an eclipse was shown. The whole theory was laughably untenable, based simply on a supposed Bax word and an image that looks like an eclipse, if you squint.
It's basically a passing thought that has been parcelled up as a "theory". No effort has been put into it, it has not been developed and there is no attempt to link the idea into any research thrust (with the exception of the Bax word).
In any other field of research, such lacklustre theories would not be countenanced for one second, and anyone presenting one should be ashamed. Yet for some reason, in the world of the Voynich, we are supposed to nod and take them seriously, and people get into the newspaper on the back of them.
It is, I suppose, because the field is open to amateurs who are actively encouraged to come along and put their ha'pennyworth in.
And from this, we get into the situation where people quickly become emotionally involved in their theories. Any attempt to critique their theory is perceived as a personal attack and the whole thing becomes personal. And now we're back at ReneZ's original point
Personally, I think we ought to get a fund up. And every-time someone presents a ridiculous theory, I get to fly out to whatever part of the world they live in and custard pie them. That should clear the field a bit
Take that recent Mexican astronomer who got himself into the papers suggesting that an eclipse was shown. The whole theory was laughably untenable, based simply on a supposed Bax word and an image that looks like an eclipse, if you squint.
It's basically a passing thought that has been parcelled up as a "theory". No effort has been put into it, it has not been developed and there is no attempt to link the idea into any research thrust (with the exception of the Bax word).
In any other field of research, such lacklustre theories would not be countenanced for one second, and anyone presenting one should be ashamed. Yet for some reason, in the world of the Voynich, we are supposed to nod and take them seriously, and people get into the newspaper on the back of them.
It is, I suppose, because the field is open to amateurs who are actively encouraged to come along and put their ha'pennyworth in.
And from this, we get into the situation where people quickly become emotionally involved in their theories. Any attempt to critique their theory is perceived as a personal attack and the whole thing becomes personal. And now we're back at ReneZ's original point
Personally, I think we ought to get a fund up. And every-time someone presents a ridiculous theory, I get to fly out to whatever part of the world they live in and custard pie them. That should clear the field a bit