Misinformation: how the printing press fuelled a massive increase of witch trials in Europe

Amazing stuff! Was it a mania fueled by the new printing press!

Did witch trials in one place inspire more such trials in other places? Imitation is not always the sincerest form of flattery.

The author of the following article is a woman, but she uses "people" to refer to women! Disturbing!

"The printing press – and a particular manual it printed – played a big role in early modern witch trials, according to a fascinating new study.

Between 1450 and 1750, some 90,000 people were put on trial for being witches across Europe.  About 45,000 of these people were executed. ...

In particular, they believe the Malleus maleficarum, which was first published in 1487, could explain a lot of the uptick – alongside trials in neighbouring cities. ..."

"... The sudden emergence of witch trials in early modern Europe may have been fueled by one of humanity's most significant intellectual milestones: the invention of the printing press in 1450. ...

the printing of witch-hunting manuals, particularly the Malleus Maleficarum in 1487, played a crucial role in spreading persecution across Europe. The study also highlights how trials in one city influenced others. This social influence — observing what neighbors were doing — played a key role in whether a city would adopt witch trials. ..."

From the abstract:

"The great upsurge of witch trials in early modern Europe remains a historical puzzle. Popularly known as the “witch craze”, this eruption of persecution is puzzling because belief in witchcraft had existed for centuries, but large-scale witch-hunting appeared rather abruptly, spread widely, and was remarkably brutal in comparison with the past. We define a theory of ideational diffusion to describe the general process of the emergence and spread of a new idea along with its prescribed behavioral change, in this case the adoption of witch-hunting. Ideational diffusion distinguishes between the adoption of new ideas, which lead social actors to reinterpret the world and thus to change their behavior, and the adoption of behavior alone. We relate how a new theory of witchcraft appeared in the fifteenth century and show that its widespread propagation, owing to the new technology of printing, matches our description of ideational diffusion. We then analyze the diffusion of witch trials in Central Europe by combining data on the publication of demonological treatises alongside climate, state capacity, religious economy, and city network variables. We find that cities adopted persecution after demonological treatises were printed, and that nearby trials induced neighbors to adopt persecution. Tracing the print vectors and social interdependence spurring witch-hunting helps us understand the general mechanisms behind the spread of persecution."

Misinformation: how the printing press fuelled witch trials

How a witch-hunting manual & social networks helped ignite Europe’s witch craze (original news release)

Ideational diffusion and the great witch hunt in Central Europe (open access)

Frontpiece for a 1576 edition of the Malleus maleficarum. Via Wikimedia Commons

Fig. 1 First witch trials across cities in the Holy Roman Empire and editions of demonological texts (Malleus maleficarum in solid black lines; other texts, described in the appendix, in dashed grey)

Smokers in England to be offered vaping kits to help them quit cigarettes

The witch hunt on smokers continues! As if vaping was so much healthier! What are e.g. actually the effects of secondary vaping?

What are the ulterior motives here? More vaping business? 

There is no scarcity of human follies!

"Ministers are to urge 1 million smokers to swap cigarettes for vapes, despite increasing alarm about the rise in young people vaping.

Under the new “swap to stop” scheme, vape starter kits will be offered to almost one in five of all smokers in England as part of the government’s “smoke free” drive.

Pregnant women will also be offered up to £400 to stop smoking and a consultation will be launched on introducing mandatory advice on quitting smoking to be placed in cigarette packs. ..."

Smokers in England to be offered vaping kits to help them quit cigarettes | Smoking | The Guardian ‘Swap to stop’ scheme comes despite increasing alarm about rise in young people vaping

Brazilian leftists are turning to Instagram to identify far-right rioters

Sounds like a terribly bad idea! What comes around goes around! Next time, another Brazilian government may want to target leftists!

When government invites so called crowdsourcing, which is in this case not very different from government denunciation and extralegal persecution and or witch hunt!

Not all protesters on that day at Brasilia's government offices  were violent rioters!

"... a new account popped up on Instagram. 

Called Contragolpe Brasil, it quickly started posting photos of alleged riot participants, reaching more than 1 million followers in just 24 hours. The idea was to crowdsource information that could identify “people who attack democracy in Brazil,” making it easier for authorities to find and punish those who escaped arrest on the day. ..."

Brazilians are turning to Instagram to identify far-right rioters | MIT Technology Review An account dedicated to unmasking insurrectionists has named and tagged dozens of alleged attackers.

The reported Elon Musk investigation 'could be serious'

Is this another politically motivated investigation by the administration of the demented and senile 46th President? Quite possible!

Japan Olympic Chief Yoshiro Mori to Quit After Sexist Remarks

How sexist was his remark really? Has it not been empirically verified many times over that women on average talk more than men? This is common knowledge is it not? Women and men are different!

There is a fine line between sexism and paranoia! Beware of a modern witch hunt! (How sexist a remark is "witch hunt" in our confused times?) 😃

"... Yoshiro Mori, an 83-year-old former prime minister and president of the Tokyo Olympic organizing committee, said at an event on Feb. 3 that meetings with women tend to drag on because they talk too much. A day later, he apologized and retracted the remarks but said he wouldn’t step down. ..."

Japan Olympic Chief Yoshiro Mori to Quit After Sexist Remarks - WSJ

Universities scrub names of racist leaders — students say it’s a first step

This is a long news article by Springer Nature journal fawning and gushing over the modern witch hunt! It is incredible! What an Orwellian world where war is peace ... Where will this dangerous medieval inquisition end! Is there no adult in the room telling these fanatics to take a hike!



"n June, the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles removed a former president’s name from a central campus"



"In the same month, the University of Mons in Belgium removed a bust of Leopold II, the Belgian king"



"And in July, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York removed DNA scientist James Watson’s name from its biological-sciences graduate programme, citing his past racist comments."



"In February, University College London (UCL) committed to dropping the names of Francis Galton and Karl Pearson, ..."

I blogged here about Karl Pearson, the socialist!



"The university also removed Von KleinSmid’s name, portrait and biography from an online gallery of past presidents"



"In February, a student organization at Stanford University in California delivered a formal request asking the institution’s leaders to rename Jordan Hall, which houses its psychology department. The building is named after Stanford’s founding president, David Starr Jordan, a marine biologist and famous eugenicist."





Universities scrub names of racist leaders — students say it’s a first step Activists praise the actions, but now seek deeper cultural change.

Witch Hunt Against James Watson

Posted: 1/18/2019

A few days ago I blogged about the manufactured scandal against Richard Feynman

The persecution or witch hunt of accomplished white male scientists appears to be in open season!

This appears to have become  a very dangerous obsession by left wing fanatics to scandalize or attack scientists this way!

I became aware of this latest witch hunt, this time against Nobel prize winner James Watson (90 years old) by reading this hyperventilating article in what was once a leading, decent, conservative German newspaper, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: KOMMENTAR ZUM GEN-RASSISMUS : Die letzten Reste einer Jahrhundert-legende (Commentary on gene racism: The last remains of a legend of a century)

Once you Google “james watson dna racism” you will quickly discover there are a number of articles out there published by the usual left wing culprits e.g.:

1. The father of DNA says he still believes in a link between race, intelligence. His lab just stripped him of his titles (Washington Post, 1/14/2019)
2. DNA pioneer stripped of honors over 'reprehensible' race comments (CNN, 1/14/2019)
3. DNA Pioneer James Watson Loses Honorary Titles Over Racist Comments The renowned scientist has a long history of controversial commentary on not only race, but issues spanning gender, religion and sexuality (Smithsonian magazine, 1/15/2019)

I did not have the time to research the details of the accusations against James Watson. However, even a cursory glance at the accusations reveals that they are blown out of proportion compared to the lifetime achievement of this scientist. These accusations are willfully amplified, presented out of context, and distorted to character assassinate this scientist.

Yes, it is probably true that James Watson made some controversial statements about genes and intelligence, religion, and sexuality, but this goes way too far!

These attacks on late Richard Feynman and now James Watson are clearly and unmistakably attempts by sanctimonious and self righteous fanatics to silence scientists who do not conform to dogmatic views!

This is very serious stuff and needs to be quickly disposed into the dustbin of history!

Smoking Bans In The U.S. Are Unconstitutional

Posted: 4/26/2015

Trigger

Just read this “http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/us/new-orleans-smoking-ban.html”. New Orleans or the Big Easy just became the latest of the major tourist cities in the U.S. to ban smoking in bars and restaurants.

From this article, I learnt there is such a lobby as the National Nonsmokers Rights Foundation.

As I have written elsewhere on my blog, the majority of nonsmokers persecution of the minority of smokers is a modern witch hunt by big government (see here and here).

Is Las Vegas Next?

It appears that city wide smoking bans in bars started in a town in California in 1990 (source).

“In 2002, Delaware became the first state to adopt what the CDC [Centers for Disease Control And Prevention] considers a comprehensive anti-smoking law—one that bans smoking in private workplaces, restaurants, and bars.” (source)

“As of January 2014, 28 states have enacted statewide bans on smoking in all enclosed public places, including all bars and restaurants” (source)

Blatantly Unconstitutional

For a government entity to prohibit smoking in private businesses is a grave violation of private property rights. Same goes if the majority of voters of a state, county, or municipal endorse such a ban.

Such smoking bans are grave violation of individual liberty imposed by an overzealous majority of nonsmokers.

Further, this assault on the minority of smokers could also be seen as a form of illegitimate discrimination based on the very contestable notion of promoting public health. Second hand smoke exposure is an overblown health scare. Or is it the odor?

What could possibly be considered constitutional is for government entities to completely ban smoking in government office buildings, but even that might go too far.

Moreover:

1. Any business can voluntarily ban smoking entirely or partially in their establishment to attract nonsmokers etc.
2. Businesses can install adequate air filtering systems etc. to minimize exposure
3. Nonsmokers are free to open and/or operate their own bars and restaurants. Nonsmokers are also free to buy any hospitality business and convert it to a nonsmoking environment
4. No employee is forced to work in a smoking environment or they can reduce their exposure by working there only for a period of time if no other alternative is available etc.

Thank The Native Americans

The citizens of the U.S. (smokers and nonsmokers)  should thank their native people for running casinos in many places of the country where smoking indoors is still allowed.

Oh, by the way, I have never smoked in my life! :-)

Ban On Smoking Is A Modern Witch Hunt And Another Road To Serfdom

History Does Repeat

They say history does not repeat itself! But it does sometimes! Those repeats in different disguises and many contemporaries fail to see the similarities to previous events.

I am not a smoker and I really do not like tobacco smoke in any kind or form (exception perhaps pipe). However, one of my best friends is a long-time and very considerate cigarette smoker.

Why A Witch Hunt!

First, like witches, smokers appear to be an easily identifiable minority in our society.

Second, smokers are being singled out and discriminated against.

Third, health arguments (prominently danger from second hand smoke) have been tremendously exaggerated. It is irrational. It is like superstition in the modern age. Cost to society arguments are not much better, because why not charge individual smokers.

The Road Of Small Steps Towards Serfdom

I just read that the German parliament is working on a comprehensive law to ban smoking from public spaces including restaurants etc. In Germany, after almost sixty years of democracy and freedom, there is still a strong tendency for the authoritarian state (Obrigkeitsstaat) to manifest itself. In Berlin, they elite knows what is good for the people and what is not.

How far have we come that we try to ban something that for most of the 20th century was considered hip to do? Just look at old movies. Smoking has been accepted for centuries by many nations with temporary or spatial exceptions. For the past two decades or so, Western governments have become more intrusive to order adults when and where they can smoke.

The massive litigation in the USA against tobacco industry is another example of how state governments in this case in collusion with trial lawyers tried to line their pockets with billions of dollars.

The ban on smoking in New York bars by mayor Bloomberg is another example of government meddling going overboard. The high taxes on cigarettes imposed by mayor Bloomberg are an insult to anyone’s intellect.

Trust The Individual!

One way how you identify an authoritarian, interventionist government, be it democratic or not, is by how much they trust the individual.

In principle, it should be left largely to private businesses and individuals to deal with the issue of smoking. For instance, restaurants and bars: if I do not like to be in a smoke filled environment I will not patronize such an establishment. Leave it to bar or restaurant owners how they want to attract paying guests.

Smoking adults should be convinced or persuaded to give up smoking not be forced or harassed by government!

Is This Only The Beginning?

You bet! If the citizens do not stop this kind of encroachment by government, others will follow! Is junk food next? Or motorcycle riding? Or paragliding? Why not restrict alcohol consumption more?

As they say in German “Wehret den Anfaengen!” (roughly, resist the outset). However, famous German lethargy “Traegheit” does not bode well. Or do the German citizens not trust their fellow citizens that is why they are wishing government to take care?