24-03-2017, 08:02 PM
Well, I agree. And then I disagree.
The problem with the false analogy is that it only proves the flaws within itself. It does not prove that all analogies are flawed. Now I grant you that many of the ideas put forward are deemed to be flawed by current opinion. Flawed is practically an automatic reaction here, but that still does does not apply to all analogies.
The comparison with Oresme's cosmos still stands on its own and is made even stronger and more interesting by subsequent investigations. Is separation a non-starter for some? Is it the intentional creation of ambiguity through deception and maintaining identity through detail and position?
As far as the VMs plant investigations go, I have little to say. All I know is the old saying, "Gold is where you find it." I'm sure these people are knowledgeable investigators, but it doesn't matter how good they are at digging holes; if there is no gold there, no gold will be found. Method is not a significant difficulty. Location is the problem. The botanical sections have created some interesting discussions. However they have not provided anything solid in the way linguistic information to help understand what is written, assuming that is possible. There is no gold to be found here.
Gold is where you find it in a natural environment. But the VMs is a human artifact. And in a human artifact, gold is - where the author left it, assuming they were the kind to do that sort of thing. Tucked away in this manuscript of disorientation are subtle bits of reality. Several bits of gold are the parts of Oresme's cosmos. This would have been something that occurred several decades prior to the VMs creation at a minimum.
If the VMs author was literate, that would be membership in an exclusive group. But among that group there would be a certain currency of knowledge and information that is perceived in detail. This is not, IMO, a situation that requires a deep historical knowledge of various images, though this is helpful, as much as it does require the perspective that is contemporary with the time of VMs creation. How does one recreate Oresme's cosmos with VMs parts, if we can't find the parts.
How do we recognize the origins of the tradition of the red galero, if we don't know who started it? Begun before 1250 CE, well before VMs parchment, this is essentially common knowledge in church history at the time of VMs creation.
How do we evaluate the impact of the use and placement of paired papelonny patterns, if we don't know what this traditional heraldic fur looks like, what it is called or where to find it? Heraldry is also common information among the educated at this time, including the use of canting.
There are two hangups:
1) Time has allowed this data to become irrelevant to modern minds.
2) The author has intentionally obscured certain data from those that were contemporary to that time.
Fortunately, with data collection, if we find the right data, the Oresme cosmos, the right cloud bands, etc., then theories can be formulated that may help our understanding and give some indication of a way forward. Or if all analogies are flawed, might as well hang it up now. But first one might ask whether problems arise from the limitations of perception. Oh yes, they do indeed.
The problem with the false analogy is that it only proves the flaws within itself. It does not prove that all analogies are flawed. Now I grant you that many of the ideas put forward are deemed to be flawed by current opinion. Flawed is practically an automatic reaction here, but that still does does not apply to all analogies.
The comparison with Oresme's cosmos still stands on its own and is made even stronger and more interesting by subsequent investigations. Is separation a non-starter for some? Is it the intentional creation of ambiguity through deception and maintaining identity through detail and position?
As far as the VMs plant investigations go, I have little to say. All I know is the old saying, "Gold is where you find it." I'm sure these people are knowledgeable investigators, but it doesn't matter how good they are at digging holes; if there is no gold there, no gold will be found. Method is not a significant difficulty. Location is the problem. The botanical sections have created some interesting discussions. However they have not provided anything solid in the way linguistic information to help understand what is written, assuming that is possible. There is no gold to be found here.
Gold is where you find it in a natural environment. But the VMs is a human artifact. And in a human artifact, gold is - where the author left it, assuming they were the kind to do that sort of thing. Tucked away in this manuscript of disorientation are subtle bits of reality. Several bits of gold are the parts of Oresme's cosmos. This would have been something that occurred several decades prior to the VMs creation at a minimum.
If the VMs author was literate, that would be membership in an exclusive group. But among that group there would be a certain currency of knowledge and information that is perceived in detail. This is not, IMO, a situation that requires a deep historical knowledge of various images, though this is helpful, as much as it does require the perspective that is contemporary with the time of VMs creation. How does one recreate Oresme's cosmos with VMs parts, if we can't find the parts.
How do we recognize the origins of the tradition of the red galero, if we don't know who started it? Begun before 1250 CE, well before VMs parchment, this is essentially common knowledge in church history at the time of VMs creation.
How do we evaluate the impact of the use and placement of paired papelonny patterns, if we don't know what this traditional heraldic fur looks like, what it is called or where to find it? Heraldry is also common information among the educated at this time, including the use of canting.
There are two hangups:
1) Time has allowed this data to become irrelevant to modern minds.
2) The author has intentionally obscured certain data from those that were contemporary to that time.
Fortunately, with data collection, if we find the right data, the Oresme cosmos, the right cloud bands, etc., then theories can be formulated that may help our understanding and give some indication of a way forward. Or if all analogies are flawed, might as well hang it up now. But first one might ask whether problems arise from the limitations of perception. Oh yes, they do indeed.