Interplanner
Well-known member
Readers of Schaeffer will be interested to review the 1st half of this regarding the role of Descartes. Descartes was one scientist and thinker who Schaeffer would call an optimistic Enlightenment person, not realizing he was eroding the only basis that would provide optimism. He had a direct influence on the upcoming queen of Sweden whose position became open just as the worst of the years conflict between Catholic and Protestant was reaching the 30 years mark. She does deserve credit for implementing pluralism.
As for Descartes, he was circuiting Europe with the discovery of the Pineal gland. Scientists of his time believed it could be extracted and human emotions would then be solved. Life would be completely rational.
The queen wanted this partly to resolve her own childhood abandonment traumas, and to make her lesbianism actually work in life. But the discovery was unsubstantiated, and obviously difficult to practice since the gland was at the bottom of the human brain. The upshot of the movie is that the gender identities are the stuff of creation and we have no way, and therefore no business, tinkering with them.
As for Descartes, he was circuiting Europe with the discovery of the Pineal gland. Scientists of his time believed it could be extracted and human emotions would then be solved. Life would be completely rational.
The queen wanted this partly to resolve her own childhood abandonment traumas, and to make her lesbianism actually work in life. But the discovery was unsubstantiated, and obviously difficult to practice since the gland was at the bottom of the human brain. The upshot of the movie is that the gender identities are the stuff of creation and we have no way, and therefore no business, tinkering with them.