It's a pity for preservation of history. The act was bizarre and probably incorrect, but it happened. Why not put the book on some museal status and restrict access to serious researchers?
Harvard University removes human skin binding from book
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Re: Harvard University removes human skin binding from book
#22I fear we've elevated 'consent' to absurd proportions. Every country in the world was built by those who didn't consent to build it (by serfdom, slavery, ..). I hope this is preserved; what a pointless waste otherwise. How are we to imagine the deceased here? A person outraged at the insult, or one now doubly outraged at the waste?
I don't consider myself much concerned with my body after death.
But I'd feel some kind of way if someone flayed my skin off my cadaver to make a book cover.
Even being a skeleton in an anatomy class seems more purposeful.
Re: Harvard University removes human skin binding from book
#23Fascinating stuff. While I can understand the decision and defend it, how is it really any different from making mummies 'properly' buried according to our current rituals?
There was no consent.
But why is the current value-set overriding historical curiosity owned by Harvard to the point that they effectively destroy some of its uniqueness due to current mores and focus on 'consent'.
I guess the real question is 'why do you think consent overrides everything else and, more importantly, should we disassemble pyramids, because they were built without the consent of its slave labor?'
Re: Harvard University removes human skin binding from book
#24What a crazy story. The comments here are crazier, though.
Re: Harvard University removes human skin binding from book
#25Fascinating stuff. While I can understand the decision and defend it, how is it really any different from making mummies 'properly' buried according to our current rituals?
I would hazard a guess that the remains of a mummy still present interesting research opportunities, whereas the skin here is just skin, and there’s no real value in keeping it around other than the sensational. IIRC last time I was at the Museum of History in Ottawa they had noted that many of the indigenous artifacts on display are replicas - for many artifacts where they felt everything that they could learn had b…
then put in a museum, solved.
Re: Harvard University removes human skin binding from book
#26I think it’s a reasonable explanation to a reasonable moral decision. Good for Harvard
Re: Harvard University removes human skin binding from book
#27We are talking about human remains here.
If this was the skin of your grandmother’s grandmother, how would your grandmother feel about it being used a hazing ritual?
Using the balance of probabilities it is likely that the unidentified person’s family would not want that to happen and is likely they would want their grandmother back.
This being a woman is only relevant because, in that era it was more likely to be a woman, I.e. consent was not seen as important when do things to/with women’s bodies.
Re: Harvard University removes human skin binding from book
#28Fascinating stuff. While I can understand the decision and defend it, how is it really any different from making mummies 'properly' buried according to our current rituals?
Are mummies general kept in a general library where anyone can poke at it upon request?
Re: Harvard University removes human skin binding from book
#29I think it's pretty important that unholy grimoires remain bound in human skin as a warning to the fools who might read the book, thank you very much.
Seriously, look up the book. It sounds like a polite description of a necromantic grimoire.
Re: Harvard University removes human skin binding from book
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
I would hazard a guess that the remains of a mummy still present interesting research opportunities, whereas the skin here is just skin, and there’s no real value in keeping it around other than the sensational. IIRC last time I was at the Museum of History in Ottawa they had noted that many of the indigenous artifacts on display are replicas - for many artifacts where they felt everything that they could learn had b…
then put in a museum, solved.
who's museum? The British Museum?