Beyond thought – the Cagots of France

Share This Post

A unique investigation into bigotry. The cagots were a group of people now widely forgotten, whose story is full of seemingly unwarranted discrimination. Staffan Scheutz attempts to find a discernible rationalisation for the systemised hatred that the cagots experienced through investigating a variety of claims, including religious affiliations, a supposed history of leprosy, and a distaste towards their profession(s). Demonstrating the flaws in each argument, Scheutz concludes that “[b]y the time people started justifying their hatred in the 1500s, any knowledge of its origin was long since lost.” Read full article here

More To Explore

Research

Researcher uses AI to make texts that are thousands of years old readable

The Gilgamesh Epic, the oldest work of world literature, has been brought back to life by LMU researchers in the Electronic Babylonian Literature project. Using their new Fragmentarium tool, they have discovered hundreds of manuscripts, including the most recent tablet of the Gilgamesh Epic which dates from 130 BC – thousands of years after the earliest known version. This shows how highly valued the Epic was, even at a late period. With the public release of the Fragmentarium, anyone can now explore the thousands of cuneiform fragments and explore the ancient Babylonian literature. Read full article here

Economics

Why a Strong Media Presence Will Help You in Economic Downturn

In times of recession, companies are looking for ways to cut costs, but instead of slashing their marketing budgets, they should be considering earned and owned media strategies. These are much more affordable alternatives and can be extremely effective – earning a company trust and loyalty from customers, which is essential to their survival. With the right amount of effort, earned and owned media can be an invaluable tool for companies looking to stay in the public eye. Read full article here

Do You want to embrace intellectual freedom and join our premium users?

FASCINATING READS, SUMMARISED

The occasional email full of conversation-worthy content