(06-13-2014, 03:48 PM)wfmyers1207 Wrote:This has always been a problem once you follow the scientific path it becomes difficult to give sway to what you then deem superstition. Being of a more scientific bent myself I've always lent towards the scientists view point, that to understand the present we have to study and understand the past, though the display of the dead does border on the morally ambiguous. If there is scientific merit in the research then display of your finding would be appropriate, otherwise it becomes like the Cabinet of Curiosities or Kunstkabinett from the past which were in alot of cases freakshows for the amusement of the public.(06-13-2014, 01:30 AM)grimmfreak Wrote: In the matter of wesen culture valuing their ancestry/history more than us. I think it depends greatly on the culture you're from. For instance in many areas of the world someone's heritage can be paramount.
In India for instance if you're born an untouchable you're basically screwed... Closer to home, many Mormon's trace their ancestry with a fervor bordering on fanaticism. As I understand it this is due to the belief that one can help redeem one's ancestors by proxy and thus help the whole family line.
I find sociology to be an interesting hobby.
In Russia you can go to a museum and see Lenin's brain (along with many other noteworthy historical brains) displayed in formaldehyde in a great big jar. Many people in this country would find this appalling.
I do not find it at all far fetched for some community to find it disgusting that we display mummies the way we do in reality. Thus the idea of a wesen being offended by such a practice would not be surprising at all
Yes, your final point is very valid. I have a degree in history and can understand the scientific curiosity that leads to archeological research. But, I've always been ambivalent about removing and displaying human remains. These were once living people who were laid to rest by those who loved and respected them. It seems they should be allowed to rest in peace. I think how I would feel if someone dug up my grandmother.
However, I see the primary motivation for the removal of the remains not being cultural, it is much more Machiavellian, it is the protection of the Wesen society from the Kehrseite. The leaders of the Beati Paoli probably propagandize to there prospective members this romantic vision of righting some mythical wrong, so you get the the required fanatics on the ground to do what is necessary to advance your aims. but in the end it is a simple political agenda being played out. If those remains did not potentially jeopardized the entire Wesen community would anyone really have cared, I think not. Take the case of the Grausen, what was the Wesen councils response to a possible risk to their society, sending an assassin to destroy the threat. I wouldn't be surprised if the Beati Paoli were an unofficially sanctioned group by the Wesen council to facilitate certain distasteful acts whilst keeping their hands clean!