Talk:Balthasar Bekker/Archive 1

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Descartes' dualism
Descartes' dualistic division of mind and body resulted in the separation of religion (soul, mind, spirit) from science (body, matter). Cartesians like Bekker therefore advocated the complete separation of the two areas of research.Lestrade (talk) 20:06, 30 October 2008 (UTC)Lestrade

Two sides to every coin
'The first use of the word "onanism" to consistently and specifically refer to masturbation is a pamphlet first distributed in London in 1716 by Dutch theologian Dr. Balthazar Bekker, titled: "Onania, or the Heinous Sin of self-Pollution, And All Its Frightful Consequences, In Both Sexes, Considered: With Spiritual and Physical Advice To Those Who Have Already Injured Themselves By This Abominable Practice.". It drew on familiar themes of sin and vice, this time in particular against the "heinous sin" of "self-pollution", with dire warnings that those who so indulged would suffer:

"Disturbances of the stomach and digestion, loss of appetite or ravenous hunger, vomiting, nausea, weakening of the organs of breathing, coughing, hoarseness, paralysis, weakening of the organ of generation to the point of impotence, lack of libido, back pain, disorders of the eye and ear, total diminution of bodily powers, paleness, thinness, pimples on the face, decline of intellectual powers, loss of memory, attacks of rage, madness, idiocy, epilepsy, fever and finally suicide."

Included were letters and testimonials supposedly from young men ill and dying from the effects of compulsive masturbation. The pamphlet then goes on to recommend as an effective remedy a "Strengthening Tincture" at 10 shillings a bottle and a "Prolific Powder" at 12 shillings a bag, available from a local shop. Onania was a huge success with over 60 editions published and being translated into several languages.'

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_masturbation — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.122.122.104 (talk) 11:37, 26 May 2011 (UTC)


 * The question then is, is this the Bekker who probably wrote that pamphlet? The identity seems uncertain. --90.236.33.78 (talk) 10:37, 2 August 2014 (UTC)


 * The identity is indeed uncertain, and attributing it to Bekker seems to me to be tenuous at best. I've removed it. -- The Anome (talk) 08:10, 8 September 2019 (UTC)