Pythagorean learning, Freud and Acousmatics in Religion
The Ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagorus adopted an unusual method for teaching. He was concerned that his appearance would distract his students from the content of his speech, in order to circumvent this he would teach from behind a curtain, and he would not reveal his appearance to the students until they had been learning for substantial amount of years.
A similar practice was adopted by Freud during his psychoanalysis. He would ask his patients to lie down on a victorian day bed and look up at the ceiling, the patient mustn’t make eye contact with the psychology and vice versa. This was an effort to induce something called ‘free association’. It would create an environment that as clinical and intimate, it encouraged the patients to freely express their thoughts. Perhaps people listen more intently when there is no visual source, and express more freely when their is no visual receptor.
There are a lot of instances of people hearing voices without a source in religious texts. In the bible, Adam hears the voice of God telling him how to behave in the garden of Eden, Moses hears the voice of God telling him to lead the Hebrews out of Egypt. There are always descriptions of someone ‘hearing’ a voice telling them important information. My interpretation of this is that people are more likely to heed the word of something unseen. I see this as an example of acousmatics in early civilisation.