Physiognomy: The Affirmative Side of Face Reading

1174 Words3 Pages

The phrase “take it at face value” adequately describes physiognomy. Indeed, what is the value of a face, especially the permanent features on a human? Can we examine a person’s facial appearance and learn about that person’s character and future? In physiognomy, we can predict the human character and destiny with its face features or body structure. Due to this reason, we sometimes call it ‘Face reading’ rather than physiognomy. For instance, if we meet someone for the first time, we might evaluate their first looks. It shows that the physiognomy has been influenced to us deeply. Physiognomy which already occupies our lives is of great antiquity. There is evidence in the earliest classical literature, including Homer and Hippocrates. That physiognomy formed part of the most ancient practical philosophy. Over time, the development of science makes people not believe the knowledge based on unscientific grounds. People want to explain everything in scientific rules. Science also enhance the accuracy of information. This trends form the society that doesn’t want to trust anything without scientific fact and uncertainty. Unfortunately, physiognomy is perceived as the most unauthentic field to people according to these standards. In addition, with the advent of Libertarianism, the approved theory of a modern state, people began to think that future and character can’t be decided in advance and they can change them by efforts. Today, Physiognomy is interesting in that it has actually regressed as a pseudoscience, having a reasonable foundation in its early days but being refined further into nonsense as the centuries progressed. Despite what people who disagree with physiognomy may believe, it is believable by scientific, physiognomica...

... middle of paper ...

...t becomes your destiny. What we think, we become.” Similarly, fixed destiny, physiognomy, is nothing else but an accumulation of our everyday thinking.

Works Cited

http://www.informationphilosopher.com/solutions/determinisms/fatalism/ http://www.alleydog.com/101notes/personality.html#.Uoop1IGwdZQ http://www.gotquestions.org/fatalism.html http://face-and-emotion.com/dataface/physiognomy/physiognomy.jsp http://alt-psychology-eng.blogspot.kr/2007/04/physiognomy.html http://global.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/332650/Johann-Kaspar-Lavater http://www.the-psychic-detective.com/physiognomy.htm http://leadingpersonality.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/face-reading-guide-basics-tips-and-secrets/ http://www.uniphiz.com/physiognomy_history.htm http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4067 http://www.helpingpsychology.com/principles-of-physiognomy
New Scientist and Glasgow University Study

Open Document