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William Jennings Bryan

Disembodied Voices in Intellectual History

In his recent post on Embodiment in Intellectual History, Ben raised the question of how intellectual historians might more effectively or fruitfully consider the “embodied aspects of the people about whom we write.” He suggested that a consideration of “intellectuals’ physical presences may grow more important as disembodied communication technologies become more and more ubiquitous.”  I began to wonder:  when was the last time that our communication technologies weren’t in some way disembodied.  We probably have to go back to prehistory for that.  But I forbid my students from beginning their essays at the dawn of time, or writing an Read more