What We Can Learn from Cotton Mather

This past Saturday was the birthday (in 1663) of Puritan clergyman and writer Cotton Mather, a major intellectual figure in early America. Mather was noted for, among other things, his participation in the Salem Witchcraft Trials and his endorsement of vaccination as a way of controlling smallpox*.

It was Mather's role in the Salem Witchcraft Trials that caught my attention as I was reading up on historical events for February 12th for the daily summary I publish on my Facebook page - in particular his endorsement of the use of "spectral evidence" – evidence visible only to the witnesses themselves. Although he approved of the use of such clearly questionable evidence, he warned the judges "... not (to) lay more stress on pure spectral evidence than it will bear … It is very certain that the Devils have sometimes represented the shapes of persons not only innocent, but also very virtuous.”

Spectral evidence is still important today as Republicans employ it in frantic efforts to overturn the results of a presidential election they decisively lost. It can be seen in the refusal of election deniers to accept completely rational explanations of what they believe is obvious evidence of the massive fraud clearly visible to them, but invisible to everyone else.

What does it say about modern America that a stern fire-and-brimstone Puritan clergyman of the 17th century was smarter and more public health minded than many of our fellow citizens?

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* Some people were a lot smarter about public health in the 1600s than they are now.