Codebreakers

The mysterious Voynich manuscript contains an important message for us all

Luis Miguel works on cloning the Voynich manuscript. Cesar Manso / AFP

For years the Voynich manuscript has intrigued and infuriated scholars. This weathered book, written in a language no one can read, and with illustrations of plants no one can identify, remains a black hole to historians. While some maintain it is a hoax, others have looked at the writing and concluded it is a real language – even if it is one that no one living can understand.

In the internet age, the manuscript has gained a new audience and a new lease of life. It is intriguing that a language, if that is what is written, could emerge without any links to any other known languages. It is unusual that illustrations of plants cannot be correlated with known species.

Yet the real power of the Voynich manuscript may be its indecipherability. In a world where too much about the past is too easily explained, the manuscript reminds us that there are many things still with us that cannot easily be understood. Knowledge is power, but a lack of knowledge gives the great gift of humility.