Discussion of Voynich MS-related theories

[Mark Knowles]

Dear ReneZ:

I felt a little offended to see myself in that list of convicts, especially since you've never come to discuss my ideas and I have always talked about you with the utmost respect.

Apart from the members of this forum, the only people in the world who know it are my wife, my children and some friends.

You won't deny me ReneZ that your case is very special. You are a world celebrity in the Voynich research without having any theory after so many years. So you will never be wrong.

My experience is that Rene has advanced very few theories though those that I am aware of seem half-baked at best. It is certainly true that he has compiled some interesting research on his website in particular some of the statistical research that has been done, though I believe this is largely other people's research that has been compiled, not his own. In addition I believe he put in considerable effort in developing the EVA system, though some might debate the strengths and weaknesses of it, but either way it has created a widely used common form of representation. In my own research I have found Rene a mixture of helpful and unhelpful, the proportion of which it is hard to say, but both have been significant.

Certainly Rene has attracted some celebrity in the Voynich world just as have Gerard Cheshire, the Ardic family and some others. Though I am inclined to the view that celebrity in the field so far seems to have no obvious relationship to expertise.

And who knows where the truth is?

That is my perspective that objectively at this time we have no clear basis for saying who is an expert and who is not.

Antonio, I have no idea about how much truth there is in your theory as I have no knowledge of it and frankly there are so many theories out there that unless I see a compelling reason to study it I probably won't any time soon. So ultimately you have to rely primarily on your judgement.

I have lines of research that I pursue and that side questions I address on the forum or Nick Pelling's blog. I think there is just a case for us all to plough on with our research if we believe that is productive. If someone has really made a major breakthrough I think with time it will be apparent.

Though I think at this stage having gatekeepers on this subject is a bad idea when the gatekeeper has limited eyesight so as to make it difficult to decide who should be admitted and who not.

I do however understand the annoyance of people, Rene or anyone, who feels that they are expected to evaluate every new theory that comes along when there are so many. I don't think Rene should be expected to consider every new theory or expected to be the correct arbiter of any theory. I think if anyone proposes a theory they should be directed to the Voynich Ninja Forum and explained how it to post it there where people can read it if they want to or not.