Physiognomy

From WikiMD.org
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Physiognomy

Physiognomy (pronounced: fiz-ee-og-nuh-mee) is a practice of assessing a person's character or personality from their outer appearance, especially the face. The term can also refer to the general appearance of a person, object, or terrain without reference to its implied characteristics.

Etymology

The term "physiognomy" comes from the Greek words physis meaning "nature" and gnomon meaning "judge" or "interpreter".

History

Physiognomy as a science has its roots in Classical Antiquity. It was then further developed in the Middle Ages by scholars such as Albertus Magnus. The practice was well accepted until the 19th century, when it was largely discredited. However, it has seen a revival in the 21st century with the advent of Artificial Intelligence and Facial Recognition technologies.

Related Terms

  • Phrenology: A pseudoscience which involves the measurement of bumps on the skull to predict mental traits.
  • Anthropometry: The scientific study of the measurements and proportions of the human body.
  • Characterology: The study of character, especially human character.
  • Personology: The study of human behavior and personality, often used interchangeably with psychology.

Criticism

Physiognomy has been criticized for its potential to reinforce stereotypes and for its use in justifying discriminatory practices. Despite these criticisms, it continues to be a topic of research in fields such as Psychology and Artificial Intelligence.

External links

Esculaap.svg

This WikiMD dictionary article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.


Languages: - East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski