Skit for group two (Riana, Sebastian, Ryan, Chloe, Marissa, Kai) -
Sebastian came to Thailand to play professional basketball for the national team (all of his games are on Sundays… don’t ask about practices because he doesn’t need them). Upon arriving, he explored the city, went on hikes (and spelunking in caves), made friends, and got accustomed to his new life. His diet has consisted mainly of pad thai and green curry. Unfortunately, on August 5th, 2024 at 12:00 am, Sebastian noticed that he began urinating blood. Furthermore, he has developed a wet cough, is drooling often, and has been very physically fatigued. Over the past month, his afflictions have only grown worse and less manageable.
Born on January 14th at 6:00 am, his sun sign is Capricorn and his sixth house is in Jupiter, which means he may be predisposed to health concerns. However, on the date of the affliction, there was no planet in his sixth house. As a Capricorn with a Melancholic temperament, Sebastian thrives in cold and dry environments and is prone to anemia, dehydration, and rheumatism. Therefore, he needs to preferably be ingesting more minerals such as iron and drinking exponentially more water. Furthermore, he needs to be sleeping way more than he has been, which is only 5 hours. Based on his temperament, the nature of his illness, and his current needs, Sebastian needs to find snakeweed, as it is cold and dry and dissolves congealed blood. Godspeed.
The first time I came into contact with the ancient Greek humoral concepts of the body was in my 9th grade English class in which we were reading Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Our teacher passed out a test which we were to take, to determine our temperament. We then used the information we learned from this test to ascribe temperaments to the different characters of the play. Of course, I now know that there are different factors that affect one’s baseline temperament, as the rapidly changing connection and relationship between the physical world and our body results in different emotional states. For example, because I am a Pisces, my baseline temperament would be phlegmatic (cold/wet), which guides how the six ‘non-naturals’ would affect my body and emotional state. Looking back, I appreciate my 9th grade teacher for attempting to contextualize the text within the manner of thinking that was prevalent at the time, and to the author himself.
While I originally posted a comment of my group’s skit for some extra points, I do think that this topic deserved some serious discourse for me. Since our discussion in class, I have found myself considering how everything I view and experience represents a form of similitude in one way or another. When I see my little cousin Oliver repeating phrases that I and the other ‘big kids’, my cousins, say I see it as being an example of Aemulatio, or emulation. Or, when I observe the people lying around in the North Quad next to the flowers and weeds, I see Analogy, in that both forms take on bodies with certain limbs and a head, and who both act in conjunction when stretching up at the sun. This week’s reading was perhaps one that stuck with me the most, and I am so grateful for it and the ways in which it has changed the way I see the world.
This material offers a fascinating glimpse into a worldview profoundly different from our own, where similarity and interconnectedness shaped the understanding of existence. Foucault’s framework of the four similitudes highlights a universe where everything was linked—earth mirrored the heavens, human bodies were microcosms of the cosmos, and visible signs carried hidden meanings. The concept of the six non-naturals emphasizes the body's inherent mutability, influenced by external forces like emotions, diet, and climate. It’s striking to consider how this dynamic, fluid sense of identity contrasts sharply with modern notions of fixed traits and stable categories. This perspective invites reflection on how historical contexts shape our understanding of health, selfhood, and the body’s relationship with the natural world. How might embracing such interconnectedness influence our approach to health and identity today?
Thank you for recontextualizing resemblances in terms of the search for perfection. I had forgotten that sanguine was the "ideal" temperament to reach. In relating this to Christianity, we can make connections between the striving towards moral perfection for the purpose of being the "elect" that reach the gates of heaven. In attempting to reach a sanguine temperamental state, one is also attempting to reach "perfection". I wonder if there was any explicit connection made during the Renaissance era between being sanguine and being without sin.
My knowledge was also very limited regarding medical sciences during the Renaissance era. I knew that much of what they knew about the human body or approaches for curing health problems could be traced back to earlier centuries, and the use of astrology to determine 'the problems.' But its as you mentioned about Foucault, still despite the progress in knowledge being made, people during this time were still clinging to the past while at the same time trying to go forward.
YES, there's always box that people try to fit into. There are certain people that act certain ways. This topic was difficult for me to understand as well. I didn't see myself in any of the categories, to be honest.
Good point about emulation...but how about astrology? Does not the body change to reflect the movement of the heavens? Or the presence of a planet in the sky? Could we call that emulation? Just playing around with this. Interesting comment!
This comedy skit related to Foucault and humoralism: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/ayueQbC9kA5UG8xw/?mibextid=D5vuiz
Skit for group two (Riana, Sebastian, Ryan, Chloe, Marissa, Kai) -
Sebastian came to Thailand to play professional basketball for the national team (all of his games are on Sundays… don’t ask about practices because he doesn’t need them). Upon arriving, he explored the city, went on hikes (and spelunking in caves), made friends, and got accustomed to his new life. His diet has consisted mainly of pad thai and green curry. Unfortunately, on August 5th, 2024 at 12:00 am, Sebastian noticed that he began urinating blood. Furthermore, he has developed a wet cough, is drooling often, and has been very physically fatigued. Over the past month, his afflictions have only grown worse and less manageable.
Born on January 14th at 6:00 am, his sun sign is Capricorn and his sixth house is in Jupiter, which means he may be predisposed to health concerns. However, on the date of the affliction, there was no planet in his sixth house. As a Capricorn with a Melancholic temperament, Sebastian thrives in cold and dry environments and is prone to anemia, dehydration, and rheumatism. Therefore, he needs to preferably be ingesting more minerals such as iron and drinking exponentially more water. Furthermore, he needs to be sleeping way more than he has been, which is only 5 hours. Based on his temperament, the nature of his illness, and his current needs, Sebastian needs to find snakeweed, as it is cold and dry and dissolves congealed blood. Godspeed.
The first time I came into contact with the ancient Greek humoral concepts of the body was in my 9th grade English class in which we were reading Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Our teacher passed out a test which we were to take, to determine our temperament. We then used the information we learned from this test to ascribe temperaments to the different characters of the play. Of course, I now know that there are different factors that affect one’s baseline temperament, as the rapidly changing connection and relationship between the physical world and our body results in different emotional states. For example, because I am a Pisces, my baseline temperament would be phlegmatic (cold/wet), which guides how the six ‘non-naturals’ would affect my body and emotional state. Looking back, I appreciate my 9th grade teacher for attempting to contextualize the text within the manner of thinking that was prevalent at the time, and to the author himself.
While I originally posted a comment of my group’s skit for some extra points, I do think that this topic deserved some serious discourse for me. Since our discussion in class, I have found myself considering how everything I view and experience represents a form of similitude in one way or another. When I see my little cousin Oliver repeating phrases that I and the other ‘big kids’, my cousins, say I see it as being an example of Aemulatio, or emulation. Or, when I observe the people lying around in the North Quad next to the flowers and weeds, I see Analogy, in that both forms take on bodies with certain limbs and a head, and who both act in conjunction when stretching up at the sun. This week’s reading was perhaps one that stuck with me the most, and I am so grateful for it and the ways in which it has changed the way I see the world.
This material offers a fascinating glimpse into a worldview profoundly different from our own, where similarity and interconnectedness shaped the understanding of existence. Foucault’s framework of the four similitudes highlights a universe where everything was linked—earth mirrored the heavens, human bodies were microcosms of the cosmos, and visible signs carried hidden meanings. The concept of the six non-naturals emphasizes the body's inherent mutability, influenced by external forces like emotions, diet, and climate. It’s striking to consider how this dynamic, fluid sense of identity contrasts sharply with modern notions of fixed traits and stable categories. This perspective invites reflection on how historical contexts shape our understanding of health, selfhood, and the body’s relationship with the natural world. How might embracing such interconnectedness influence our approach to health and identity today?
Thank you for recontextualizing resemblances in terms of the search for perfection. I had forgotten that sanguine was the "ideal" temperament to reach. In relating this to Christianity, we can make connections between the striving towards moral perfection for the purpose of being the "elect" that reach the gates of heaven. In attempting to reach a sanguine temperamental state, one is also attempting to reach "perfection". I wonder if there was any explicit connection made during the Renaissance era between being sanguine and being without sin.
My knowledge was also very limited regarding medical sciences during the Renaissance era. I knew that much of what they knew about the human body or approaches for curing health problems could be traced back to earlier centuries, and the use of astrology to determine 'the problems.' But its as you mentioned about Foucault, still despite the progress in knowledge being made, people during this time were still clinging to the past while at the same time trying to go forward.
YES, there's always box that people try to fit into. There are certain people that act certain ways. This topic was difficult for me to understand as well. I didn't see myself in any of the categories, to be honest.
Good point about emulation...but how about astrology? Does not the body change to reflect the movement of the heavens? Or the presence of a planet in the sky? Could we call that emulation? Just playing around with this. Interesting comment!