I suppose that beginning a title with "ON" may prepare the reader for something serious and scholarly, but when I look back at what I have done, it doesn't seem to be the case that the posts with such a title were particularly thoughtful. The two I found were: On Barfing and On Worms. This one is "On Witches" because they are again in the news.
The headline is: "Women, Killed as Witches, Pardoned." The pardoners are the members of Catalonia's parliament and those pardoned were the witches disposed of between the 15th and 18th centuries. Apparently the parliamentarians were following the fine example provided by those in the "Witches of Scotland Campaign" who are advocating for a pardon for the almost 4,000 witches tried under the Witchcraft Act of 1563. Apparently, as well, the UN recently passed a resolution on the issue of people currently being accused of witchcraft.
I suppose I noticed the headline partially because it was good to have another example of victims from the past, since some of the ones today seem to think they are the only ones who have ever existed, and to remind them that their victim status probably resulted from something less severe than, say burning at the stake.
The execution of witches is a serious historical matter since there were many of them in many places in different periods. Why many of the victims were women is a good question to be asked. There are also many other questions involving the disciplines of psychology, sociology and theology.
The current pardons also create some good philosophical issues, the basic one being, does such retrospective contrition do any good since those pardoned are deader that the parrot in the Python sketch. I guess it does suggest that we are smarter now and now implicitly condemn the actions of those who killed the witches, although they won't know, since they are also deceased. We might also face a problem if the number of pardons issued increases exponentially as has the number of statues toppled. Should those punished for blasphemy or the violation of what were known as "Blue Laws" now be forgiven? Probably not the former since it is still a crime in large sections of the world.
I admit both, that I am skeptical that such pardons do much good, and that I am not a philosopher. I don't think current Catalonians are responsible for the deeds done by those in the past, just as I don't think, as a former citizen of the U.S., that I am guilty of the crimes of dead slaveholders there. But, on your behalf, beyond reading the headline, I did a bit of research and found this:
"Like downed statues, posthumous pardons do not change public policy. They do not repeal bad laws. They certainly do not have any discernible effect on their recipients. But they have the potential to do much more than simply make people feel a little better about the past. In fact, they may be most valuable precisely for what they promise. In repudiating miscarriages of justice, especially those with racial overtones, such pardons make a statement that what was done in the past was wrong, and they serve as markers that make it more difficult for such wrongs to be repeated. At their best, they have the potential to restore faith in a judicial system in which many people have lost confidence, and to further the work of building a more just, more tolerant, and more equitable society."
Given the above and that the pardons probably "Do No Harm", I guess they are harmless, so pardon me.
Sources:
The basic headline, "Women, Killed as Witches, Pardoned," is found in The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 28, 2022.
For the Scottish situation see: "Three Centuries After the Horrific Treatment of Women and Others Under the Witchcraft Act in Scotland, an Apology Could Finally be Granted in 2022," Hannah Brown, The Scotsman, Dec. 21, 2021.
The Bonus:
If you wish to study this issue at the university level, you can shop around in the syllabi found on the campus nearby. Here are a few from the past:
History 2459G (530)"Midwives, Madonnas, Witches and Whores: Women in early modern Europe, 1500-1700."
Philosophy 2006: Metaphysics & Epistemology of Witchcraft
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