DOCSLIB.ORG

Inventing Idiocy: Law, Land and the Construction Of

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Inventing Idiocy: Law, Land and the Construction Of INVENTING IDIOCY: LAW, LAND AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY IN LATE MEDIEVAL ENGLAND A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Eliza Marie Buhrer January 2013 © 2013 Eliza Marie Buhrer INVENTING IDIOCY: LAW, LAND, AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY IN LATE MEDIEVAL ENGLAND Eliza Marie Buhrer, Ph. D. Cornell University 2013 During the late thirteenth century the English Crown claimed the right to take the lands of so-called idiots into its possession, and developed a set of juridical practices to assess whether these individuals were mentally competent enough to rule themselves and their property. This dissertation examines how these developments informed the way society imagined intellectual disability in the Middle Ages and beyond. Since the publication of Foucault’s Madness and Civilization, scholars have treated insanity as a concept with a cultural history. Less however has been written about the conceptual history of “idiocy.” People outside the academy naturally assume that intelligence and its absence are natural categories, while historians who work on the cultural history of intellectual disability tend to locate its emergence in early modern medical discourses. Rejecting both of these claims, Inventing Idiocy suggests that intellectual disability was not initially a medical concept, but an invention of medieval jurists and administrators concerned with practical matters of land and inheritance. For while a concept of idiocy existed in the Middle Ages, the idiocy that preoccupied medieval jurists had little to do with a specific idea of intelligence. Rather it was a narrow legal term, used to refer to people who were unable to manage landed wealth. People outside the legal profession had little idea what idiocy entailed, and no disorder resembling the law’s idea of idiocy—or our own—existed in medieval medicine. Nevertheless hundreds of alleged idiots were called before the courts between the late thirteenth and early fifteenth centuries. Examining records of these inquisitions, I show that qualities associated with idiocy in later medical discourses reflected the idea of mental incompetency that arose in of these contested trials. In doing so, I reject the view that intellectual disability originated when medical discourse supplanted older religious constructions of foolishness, and is indeed medical in origin. Instead, I suggest that a stable and distinctive concept of intellectual disability entered Western thought when a category invented by lawyers to deal with practical problems of inheritance burgeoned beyond the legal sphere, and became assimilated into general culture. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Eliza Buhrer graduated from Reed College with a major in Religious Studies in 2006. She was awarded an M.A. in Medieval Studies by the graduate school at Cornell University in 2010, is currently an Assistant Professor of History at Seton Hall University. iii Dedicated to my parents, who made great sacrifices for my education, and bragged about me as much as they would have if I had become a “real” doctor. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I could not have completed this dissertation were it not for many people who contributed to my development as a thinker and scholar over the past six years. First, I consider myself immensely lucky to have spent my graduate career in the Medieval Studies Program at Cornell University. Beyond providing the financial support that enabled me to pursue a Ph.D., the Medieval Studies Program gave me the opportunity to spend my time at Cornell surrounded by wonderful scholars and delightful people whose work continues to inspire me. When I started this process six years ago, I was horrified at the idea of spending my twenties in a small town in upstate New York, but now that all is said and done, I can’t think of anywhere else I would have rather been. To say that Medieval Studies had something to do with this would be an understatement. In that same vein, I owe a debt of gratitude to Cornell’s History Department. The History Department provided me with funding that allowed me to spend the spring of 2010 undertaking the archive work that became a cornerstone of this dissertation, and was also very welcoming to me during my time at Cornell. I am also grateful to the graduate school at Cornell University, and the Cornell-Oxford Brettschneider Exchange Fund, which gave me grants that enabled me to spend a month in the summer of 2011 consulting medical manuscripts at Oxford. What I did not find during that time became the basis for Chapter Three, and led me to rethink my overarching argument in ways that proved fruitful. Beyond departments and institutions, there are a number of people who contributed to my success as I worked on this project. First, I was incredibly fortunate to have an advisor as supportive, and generous with his time as Paul Hyams. When I came to Cornell, I had no v interest in working on England or law. Paul’s ability to turn what at first glance seemed dross into gold then, should be evident about 5 pages into this dissertation. I also was privileged to work with Duane Corpis and Scott MacDonald. Duane pushed me to think about the theoretical implications of my research in a way that I doubt I would have absent his influence, and offered unflagging encouragement throughout my time at Cornell. Scott patiently listened to my historian’s questions about philosophy, and I’d like to think that I’m able to write more cogently about medieval intellectual history as a result. Now that I’m a professor, it is humbling to realize just how much time my mentors gave me, and I can only hope to be as good to my students as they were to me. I would also like to thank several people who gave feedback on various parts of this dissertation, and more generally, enriched my life through their friendship. First, I had the good fortune of participating in a dissertation writing group with Sarah Harlan-Haughey, Tom McSweeney, and Melissa Winders, generously sponsored by Cornell’s Society for the Humanities. Sarah, Tom and Melissa offered helpful comments on a number of chapters, and contributed greatly to my enjoyment of this project by making me see writing as an activity through which one can form a community rather than a solitary process. Louis Caron, Abi Fisher, Ben Glaser, and Eliot Kapit also commented on parts of this dissertation, and my work is certainly better for it. I owe an additional debt of gratitude to Louis and Eliot for their help with proofreading in the final weeks before this project was due. I would also like to thank Ada Kuskowki for allowing me to bounce ideas off her over the years, and listening to me practice at least half of the talks I gave during my graduate career. Similarly, Danielle Cudmore made discussing dissertation ideas delightful during long runs in the vi Cornell Plantations. Finally, my years in graduate school would have been much less pleasant without my friends in the Cornell physics department. I am probably better at communicating my ideas to non-specialists as a result of their friendship, and they certainly know more about the fourteenth century now than scientists should ever need to know. I would be remiss if I failed to thank my parents, who always believed that that I could make the impractical possible, and never once asked me, “What are you going to do with that”? Finally, it is customary to wait until the end of acknowledgements to thank one’s long suffering spouse, but as my reader can see, Eliot Kapit, my dedicated partner of the past ten years, played a much more active role in my work than simply putting up with it with minimal complaints. He has been a consistent source of joy and comfort since I have known him, and I am proud to now be Dr. & Dr. s vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Biographical Sketch………………………………………………………………………..iii Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………...……….....v List of Figures……………………………………………………………………………...ix List of Abbreviations……………………………………………………………………….x Chapter One: Introduction…………………………………………………………….........1 Chapter Two: Reason’s Other in Medieval Theology, Medicine, and Law……………...… 36 Chapter Three: “But What May be Said of a Fool?”; Popular Awareness of the Law in Early Idiocy Inquisitions…………………………………………………………………….…..83 Chapter Four: A Fool and (Her) Money are Soon Parted: Idiocy and Inheritance in the Fourteenth Century………………………………………………………………....……126 Chapter Five: A Profusion of Idiots; Merchants, Markets, and Mental Disorder on the Cusp of Modernity…………………………………………………………………….156 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………….197 Appendix……………………………………………………………………………....200 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………...207 viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Individuals suffering from disorders other than idiocy in the CIPM, CPR, and CCR ……………………………………………………………………………………..201 Figure 2: Individuals Accused of Idiocy and Documents Related to their Cases by Decade…………………………………………………………………………………...202 Figure 3: Women Accused of Idiocy, and the Records their Cases Produced, by Decade…………………………………………………………………………………...203 Figure 4: Gender Breakdown of Alleged Idiots by Decade……………………………...204 Figure 5: Records Involving Women as a Share of the Total Number of Records, by Decade…………………………………………………………………………………...205 Figure 6: Men Accused of Idiocy and Records Relating to their Cases, by Decade …………………………………………………………………………………………..206 Figure 7: Women Accused of Idiocy and Records Relating to their Cases by Decade…...206 ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CCR: Calendar of the Close Rolls Preserved in the Public Record Office, 1227-1485. Public Record Office. 45 vols. London: HMSO, 1892-1954 CIM: Calendar of Inquisitions Miscellaneous (Chancery), Henry III- Henry V. Public Record Office. 7 vols. London: HMSO, 1916-1968. CIPM: Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem and other Analogous Documents Preserved in the Public Record Office. Public Record Office. 20 vols. London: HMSO, 1904-1970. CPR: Calendar of the Patent Rolls Preserved in the Public Record Office, 1216-1509.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Cambridge School Richard Bourke
    The Cambridge School Richard Bourke 1. What are the origins of the Cambridge School? The existence of a “Cambridge School” was first identified by J. G. A. Pocock in the early 1970s, but the description was intended to refer to an approach to the history of ideas that began to achieve prominence in the 1960s. The practitioners whom Pocock had in mind as exemplary members of this School included himself, Quentin Skinner and John Dunn. Over time, it became clear that these three figures had distinct concerns in the fields of intellectual history and political theory. Pocock himself has tended to focus his research on the history of historiography, Skinner on the history of philosophy, and Dunn on political theory understood as a branch of historical inquiry. However, in the 1960s they shared much common ground. By the end of the decade, they had all contributed to methodological debates in the history of ideas. At the same time, each of them had made significant contributions to the study of the history of political thought itself: Pocock, the eldest of the three, had produced a major account of the ideology of ancient constitutionalism in seventeenth-century English political debate; Dunn had produced his classic treatment of the political thought of John Locke; and Skinner had published original studies of the political philosophy of Thomas Hobbes. What distinguished these works was their use of properly historical forms of investigation to explore the writings of past thinkers. This meant eschewing a range of historical fallacies: most importantly, anachronism, prolepsis, and teleology. It also entailed treating ideas as arguments rather than as disembodied entities.
    [Show full text]
  • Anti-Intellectualism, Corporatization, and the University Henry Reichman American Association of University Professors, [email protected]
    Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy Volume 9 Creating Solutions in Challenging Times Article 2 December 2017 Anti-Intellectualism, Corporatization, and the University Henry Reichman American Association of University Professors, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://thekeep.eiu.edu/jcba Part of the Collective Bargaining Commons, and the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Reichman, Henry (2017) "Anti-Intellectualism, Corporatization, and the University," Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy: Vol. 9 , Article 2. Available at: http://thekeep.eiu.edu/jcba/vol9/iss1/2 This Op-Ed is brought to you for free and open access by The Keep. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy by an authorized editor of The Keep. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Anti-Intellectualism, Corporatization, and the University Cover Page Footnote This was modified from a presentation at the Annual Conference of the National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education in New York City, April 2017. This op-ed is available in Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy: http://thekeep.eiu.edu/jcba/vol9/iss1/2 Reichman: Anti-Intellectualism, Corporatization, and the University Anti-Intellectualism, Corporatization, and the University Henry Reichman1 In bargaining collectively over conditions of employment, college and university faculty and administrations face a peculiar challenge. Unlike much labor faculty work is primarily intellectual work and the conditions of employment are much impacted by societal attitudes toward intellect and intellectuals. We are accustomed, of course, to bargaining over protections to academic freedom and intellectual property.
    [Show full text]
  • Feeble-Mindedness and Mechanical Aptitute. Paul E
    University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 1940 Feeble-mindedness and mechanical aptitute. Paul E. Dion University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses Dion, Paul E., "Feeble-mindedness and mechanical aptitute." (1940). Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014. 2599. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.umass.edu/theses/2599 This thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses 1911 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FEEBLE-MINDED NESS AND MECHANICAL APTITUDE rtoiTADuaa A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Degree of Master of Science Massachusetts State College Amherst 1940 •l1 Able op1 contents 9r&: - S 100 - Ill• • • - TABLE OP CONTENTS Page List of Tables. v;l List of Figures. viii Chapter 1 -- Introduction (1) Definition of Feeble-Mindedness.... (2) Measurement of Feeble-Mindedness... (3) Classification of Feeble- Mindedness. 3 (4) Types of Feeble-Mindedness. (5) Causes of Feeble-Mindedness. 7 (6) Treatment of Feeble-Mindedness. 7 (7) Educational Treatment of Feeble- Mi nde dne .. 7° Chapter II -- Feeble-Mlnde dne s s and ■■ ■ -efc—- * 1 2 3 4 ' 1 —-P'-- ~ A I • I _ (1) The Feeble-Minded and Mechanical Aptitude. 17 (2) Summary of Reports.... 48 (5) Deductions from Evidence... (4) What Can the Feeble-Minded Do?. 21 Chapter III -- The Experiment (1) Statement of Problem. 2? (2) Selection of Subjects. 27 (3) Selection of Tests. 31 (4) Criterion of Success.
    [Show full text]
  • Intellectual Culture: the End of Russian Intelligentsia
    Russian Culture Center for Democratic Culture 2012 Intellectual Culture: The End of Russian Intelligentsia Dmitri N. Shalin University of Nevada, Las Vegas, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/russian_culture Part of the Asian History Commons, Cultural History Commons, European History Commons, Intellectual History Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Political History Commons, Slavic Languages and Societies Commons, and the Social History Commons Repository Citation Shalin, D. N. (2012). Intellectual Culture: The End of Russian Intelligentsia. In Dmitri N. Shalin, 1-68. Available at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/russian_culture/6 This Article is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Article in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Article has been accepted for inclusion in Russian Culture by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Intellectual Culture: The End of Russian Intelligentsia Dmitri Shalin No group cheered louder for Soviet reform, had a bigger stake in perestroika, and suffered more in its aftermath than did the Russian intelligentsia. Today, nearly a decade after Mikhail Gorbachev unveiled his plan to reform Soviet society, the mood among Russian intellectuals is decidedly gloomy.
    [Show full text]
  • Inventing 'Humanity': Early- Modern Perspectives
    [Intellectual History Archive 5, 2018] Kontler, Inventing ‘humanity’ INVENTING ‘HUMANITY’: EARLY- MODERN PERSPECTIVES László Kontler1 Central European University I. Introduction This essay addresses a crucial chapter in the development of the modern concept of humanity (mankind , humanité, Menschheit) in European culture. 2 It is not an empirical study based on primary research, rather an attempt to sketch an analytical framework for approaching and understanding a broad array of specific historical topics and phenomena within the parameters of an encompassing theme. The methodological assumption at its heart is trivial: our concept of ‘humanity’ is not an intrinsic one, but a contextually defined cultural product shaped by processes of philosophical, historical, social-anthropological and political self-reflection, and of encounter with ‘others’ in modern times, which all raised important and disturbing questions about the differentiae specifica of the human kind. In tackling some of these questions and significant answers to them during the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, I focus on early-modern versions of three important intellectual frameworks that determined the consideration of the diversity versus unity, and diversity within unity, of mankind. These are, first, the temporalization of human difference: the notion that such difference is largely a matter of patterns in the development of human faculties and relations both among men and between them and their environment across (virtual) time. Second, the historicization of nature: the study of nature on the basis of the collection and ordering of data about phenomena as they actually exist in space as well as in time. Third, the naturalization of man: the study of humans without the ascription of a special status to them, with the approach of the naturalists, as coequal from the methodological point of view with any other product of the Creation.
    [Show full text]
  • Leibniz, Mysticism and Religion Archives Internationales D'histoire Des Idees
    LEIBNIZ, MYSTICISM AND RELIGION ARCHIVES INTERNATIONALES D'HISTOIRE DES IDEES INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES OF THE HISTORY OF IDEAS 158 LEIBNIZ, MYSTICISM AND RELIGION edited by ALLISON P. COUDERT, RICHARD H. POPKIN and GORDON M. WEINER Founding Directors: P. Dibon t (Paris) and R.H. Popkin (Washington University, St. Louis & UCLA) Director: Sarah Hutton (The University of Hertfordshire, Uni ted Kingdom) Associate Directors: lE. Force (Lexington); lC. Laursen (Riverside) Editorial Board: J.F. Battail (Paris); F. Duchesneau (Montreal); A. Gabbey (New York); T. Gregory (Rome); J.D. North (Groningen); MJ. Petry (Rotterdam); J. Popkin (Lexington); G.A.J. Rogers (Keele); Th. Verbeek (Utrecht) Advisory Editorial Board: J. Aubin (Paris); B. Copenhaver (Los Angeles); A. Crombie (Oxford); H. Gadamer (Heidelberg); H. Gouhier (Paris); K. Hanada (Hokkaido University); W. Kirsop (Melbourne); P.O. Kristeller (Columbia University); E. Labrousse (Paris); A. Lossky (Los Angeles); J. Malarczyk (Lublin); J. Orcibal (Paris); W. Röd (München); G. Rousseau (Los Angeles); H. Rowen (Rutgers University, NJ.); J.P. Schobinger (Zürich); J. Tans (Groningen) LEIBNIZ, MYSTICISM AND RELIGION Edited by ALLISON P. COUDERT Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, U.S.A. RICHARD H. POPKIN University ofCalifornia, Los Angeles, California, U.S.A. and GORDON M. WEINER Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, U.s.A. Springer-Science+Business Media, B.V. A C.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978-90-481-5088-5 ISBN 978-94-015-9052-5 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-015-9052-5 Printed on acid-free paper All Rights Reserved @1998 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1998.
    [Show full text]
  • What's the Big Idea?
    This article was downloaded by: [Harvard College] On: 23 November 2012, At: 07:37 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK History of European Ideas Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rhei20 What's the Big Idea? Intellectual History and the Longue Durée David Armitage a a Department of History, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA Version of record first published: 29 Aug 2012. To cite this article: David Armitage (2012): What's the Big Idea? Intellectual History and the Longue Durée , History of European Ideas, 38:4, 493-507 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01916599.2012.714635 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and- conditions This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae, and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand, or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.
    [Show full text]
  • The Nature of Tomorrow: Inbreeding in Industrial Agriculture and Evolutionary Thought in Britain and the United States, 1859-1925
    The Nature of Tomorrow: Inbreeding in Industrial Agriculture and Evolutionary Thought in Britain and the United States, 1859-1925 By Theodore James Varno A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor John E. Lesch, Chair Professor Cathryn L. Carson Professor Stephen E. Glickman Fall 2011 The Nature of Tomorrow: Inbreeding in Industrial Agriculture and Evolutionary Thought in Britain and the United States, 1859-1925 © 2011 By Theodore James Varno 1 Abstract The Nature of Tomorrow: Inbreeding in Industrial Agriculture and Evolutionary Thought in Britain and the United States, 1859-1925 By Theodore James Varno Doctor of Philosophy in History University of California, Berkeley Professor John E. Lesch, Chair Historians of science have long recognized that agricultural institutions helped shape the first generation of geneticists, but the importance of academic biology to scientific agriculture has remained largely unexplored. This dissertation charts the relationship between evolutionary thought and industrial agriculture from Charles Darwin’s research program of the nineteenth century through the development of professional genetics in the first quarter of the twentieth century. It does this by focusing on a single topic that was important simultaneously to evolutionary thinkers as a conceptual challenge and to agriculturalists as a technique for modifying organism populations: the intensive inbreeding of livestock and crops. Chapter One traces zoological inbreeding and botanical self-fertilization in Darwin’s research from his articles published in The gardeners’ chronicle in the 1840s and 1850s through his The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom of 1876.
    [Show full text]
  • Post-Marxism: an Intellectual History
    Post-Marxism Post-Marxism is now a well-established theoretical position concerned with rescuing aspects of Marxist thought from the collapse of Marxism as a global cultural and political force. Marxism has come to be regarded by some as a discredited system of thought, carrying with it a burden of authoritarianism and totalitarian- ism which is at odds with the current commitment to cultural pluralism and libertarianism. This book traces the crystallisation of post-Marxism as a specific theoretical position in its own right and considers the role played in its development by poststructuralism, postmodernism and second-wave feminism. It examines the history of dissenting tendencies within the Marxist tradition, stretching from Rosa Luxemburg through the Frankfurt School to more recent theorists such as Barry Hindess, Paul Hirst, Rudolf Bahro, Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe, and considers what the future prospects of post-Marxism are likely to be. A comprehensive account of the development of post-Marxist thought, Post- Marxism: An Intellectual History is an invaluable resource for students and scholars of Politics, Philosophy, Literature, Sociology and Gender Studies. Stuart Sim is Professor of English Studies at the University of Sunderland. He has published extensively on cultural theory and continental philosophy. 1 Routledge studies in social and political thought 2 3 1 Hayek and After 15 Wittgenstein and the Idea of a 4 Hayekian liberalism as a research Critical Social Theory 5 programme A Critique of Giddens, Habermas 6 Jeremy Shearmur and Bhaskar 7 2 Conflicts in Social Science Nigel Pleasants 8 Edited by Anton van Harskamp 16 Marxism and Human Nature 9 3 Political Thought of André Gorz Sean Sayers 0 Adrian Little 17 Goffman and Social 11 4 Corruption, Capitalism and Organization 12 Democracy Studies in a sociological legacy 13 John Girling Edited by Greg Smith 5 Freedom and Culture in 18 Situating Hayek 14 Western Society Phenomenology and the neo-liberal 15 Hans Blokland project 16 6 Freedom in Economics Mark J.
    [Show full text]
  • MA in Cultural and Intellectual History 1300–1650
    MA in Cultural and Intellectual History 1300–1650 warburg.sas.ac.uk About the degree The Warburg Institute MA in Cultural and Intellectual History aims to equip students for interdisciplinary research in the late medieval and early modern period, with a particular emphasis on the reception of the classical tradition. Students will become part of an international community of scholars, working in a world-famous library. They will broaden their range of knowledge to include the historically informed interpretation of images and texts, art history, philosophy, history of science, literature and the impact of religion on society. During this twelve-month, full-time course, students will improve their knowledge of Latin, French and Italian and will acquire the library and archival skills essential for research on primary texts. Although it is a qualification in its own right, the MA is also designed to provide training for further research at doctoral level. It is taught through classes and supervision by members of the academic staff of the Institute and by outside teachers. The teaching staff are leading academics in their field who have published widely. Research strengths include: changes in philosophical trends between the Middle Ages and the Enlightenment; early modern material culture; and forms of religious non-conformism in sixteenth- and seventeenth- century Europe. For further details on the research interests of teaching staff see the module table in this leaflet or visit warburg.sas.ac.uk/about/people/teaching-staff “I came to study at the Warburg with a modicum of trepidation, due to the overwhelming reputation that precedes and surrounds the Institute.
    [Show full text]
  • Leibniz: His Philosophy and His Calculi Eric Ditwiler Harvey Mudd College
    Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal Issue 19 Article 20 3-1-1999 Leibniz: His Philosophy and His Calculi Eric Ditwiler Harvey Mudd College Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmnj Part of the Intellectual History Commons, Logic and Foundations Commons, and the Logic and Foundations of Mathematics Commons Recommended Citation Ditwiler, Eric (1999) "Leibniz: His Philosophy and His Calculi," Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal: Iss. 19, Article 20. Available at: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/hmnj/vol1/iss19/20 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Claremont at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in Humanistic Mathematics Network Journal by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Leibniz: His Philosophy and His Calculi Eric Ditwiler Harvey Mudd College Claremont, CA 91711 This paper is about the last person to be known as a Anyone who has tried to calculate simple interest us- great Rationalist before Kant’s Transcendental Philoso- ing Roman Numerals knows well the importance of phy forever blurred the distinction between that tra- an elegant notation. dition and that of the Empiricists. Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz is well known both for the Law which In the preface to his translations of The Early Math- bears his name and states that “if two things are ex- ematical Manuscripts of Leibniz, J.M. Child maintains actly the same, they are not two things, but one” and that “the main ideas of [Leibniz’s] philosophy are to for his co-invention of the Differential Calculus.
    [Show full text]
  • The Emergent Critical History of Intellectual Disability
    1 INTRODUCTION: THE EMERGENT CRITICAL HISTORY OF INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY Patrick McDonagh, C. F. Goodey, and Tim Stainton In 1861, as the concept of ‘idiocy’, and authority over those designated ‘idiots’, was in the process of being transported into the medical sphere, the English physicians Martin Duncan and M. B. Lond lamented that ‘The terms used in the literature of idiocy complicate the first steps of practical inquiry greatly, and different writers, regardless of the necessity for unanimity, use the same words to describe various classes of idiots’.1 The fluid terminology that worried Duncan, Lond, and their peers has often appeared as both an obstacle to understanding idiocy (and related concepts), and as an indication of its universality. Edouard Séguin opens his 1846 Traitement Moral, Hygiène et Éducation des Idiots with a multi-linguistic and cross-cultural list of synonyms for ‘idiocy’, and his implication was clear: if everyone has a word for it – or indeed, many words – then ‘idiocy’ must be a universal condition that crosses time and culture. But at the same time, the slipperiness of the key terms noted by Duncan and Lond might equally point to an accompanying slipperiness of the concept itself, as well as to the struggles of medical and other profession- als in the nascent ‘idiocy’ industry as they sought to define the object of their attention. Anyone exploring the history, or pre-history, of intellectual disability is faced immediately with a question similar to that which frustrated Duncan and Lond: what does the term ‘intellectual disability’ or, for that matter, ‘learn- ing disability’ refer to? And what, glancing further back in time, of idiocy? Or folly? We can assume a smooth transhistorical continuity in which one term substitutes for another, but there is another possibility, one supported by critical historical research: that intellectual disability and related concepts are products of and contingent upon specific social and intellectual environments, and perform specific functions within those environments.
    [Show full text]