14-11-2023, 10:32 AM
Yeah, I'm certain a similar array of mental issues existed in the past. We could say the VM was probably made by a "neurodivergent" person, but that might become a slippery slope that ends up in abandoning the study altogether.
I think a word like "visionary" as Rene uses it might be more suitable, as it encompasses a certain divergence from the norm / new creation, as well as invoking the right context.
The problem I see is this: how do we discuss absurd behavior in the context of religious extremism? Hildegard grew up in a theocracy, where it was normal to send daughters off to religious communities where they could become brides of Jesus. The society was also repressive of women in general, and those that were able to obtain some authority could not always do so by regular means. Hildegard's insistence that her writings came from visions rather than biblical exegesis allowed her to do something only men were allowed to do.
Again, context is everything.
I think a word like "visionary" as Rene uses it might be more suitable, as it encompasses a certain divergence from the norm / new creation, as well as invoking the right context.
The problem I see is this: how do we discuss absurd behavior in the context of religious extremism? Hildegard grew up in a theocracy, where it was normal to send daughters off to religious communities where they could become brides of Jesus. The society was also repressive of women in general, and those that were able to obtain some authority could not always do so by regular means. Hildegard's insistence that her writings came from visions rather than biblical exegesis allowed her to do something only men were allowed to do.
Again, context is everything.