This is the first book devoted to the cultural history in the pre-modern period of people we now describe as having learning disabilities. Using an interdisciplinary approach, including historical semantics, medicine, natural philosophy and law, it considers a neglected field of social and medical history and makes an original contribution to the problem of a shifting concept such as 'idiocy'. Medieval physicians, lawyers and the schoolmen of the emerging universities wrote the texts which shaped medieval definitions of intellectual ability and its counterpart, disability. In studying such texts, which form part of our contemporary scientific and cultural heritage, we gain a better understanding of which people were considered to be intellectually disabled and how their participation and inclusion in society differed from the situation today.

"... The book demolishes a number of historiographic myths and stereotypes surrounding intellectual disability in the Middle Ages and suggests new insights with regard to 'fools', jesters and 'idiots'.

Variothoughts series. Book of fools. What is stupidity? How to find out stupidity? How to avoid stupidity? What is bad about stupidity? What good I know everything about stupidity, I am the most stupid and ignorant person on Earth. Socrates was hypocritical and cunning, but I sincerely say - I'm stupid. Stupidity is helpful. I love stupidity. Ivan the Fool is my hero. Stupidity kills fear.***The main feature of the books "Variothoughts" is their unprecedented honesty and versatility. No censorship of thoughts, absolute freedom of ideas and words. Variothoughts is a guide to the labyrinths of thought. Concentrate of information. Time is money. Secret knowledge, forbidden and lost wisdom. Thoughts that will forever change your understanding of life. Knowledge is power.***Variothoughts is a book for those who save their time. Ready-made Lego cubes used to put together any ideas and goals. The DNA and RNA of thought. Variothoughts books should be read slowly, chewing every thought carefully. Truth is that which has extension properties, and falsehood is pride, that is, an avid rush.***The reader is offered a thematic set of Syntalism thoughts, aphorisms and metaphors on the topic indicated in the title of the book. The meaning of Variothoughts is the search for 3D truth. The knowledge of truth comes through the denial of lies, which are infinite, so the act of faith associated with the knowledge of truth is an infinite source of joy and strength. Great thing the truth? Great thing a lie?

In ancient Athens, “idiots” were those selfish citizens who dishonorably declined to participate in the life of the polis, and whose disavowal of the public interest was seen as poor taste and an indication of judgment. Over time, however, the term idiot has shifted from that philosophically uncomplicated definition to an ever-changing sociological signifier, encompassing a wide range of meanings and beliefs for those concerned with intellectual and cognitive disability. Idiocy: A Cultural History offers for the first time a analysis of the concept, drawing on cultural, sociological, scientific, and popular representations ranging from Wordsworth’s “Idiot Boy” and Dickens’ Barnaby Rudge to Down’s “Ethnic classification of idiots.” It tracks how our changing definition of idiocy intersects with demography, political movements, philosophical traditions, economic concerns, and the growth of the medical profession.

The Foolish One (or the Facilitator of Failure) is a graphic volume of poetry. (Poems and Comic strips) It is the first volume of this genre and the first book of a ten part series. It is the poetic diary, or therapeutic journal, of a frustrated inner city school teacher that has taught in a failing school district for five years. The poems and the comic strips will introduce the reader to an environment the school teacher refers to as the inner asylum and a place he calls the laboratory of failure.