It may be hard for us in 2014 to imagine, but there was a time when phrenology, the science which makes measurements of the human skull to determine core personality traits, was considered a pseudoscience. From our modern vantage point today, that is almost unbelievable. Yet, not so long ago, phrenology was ridiculed as pseudoscience. Today, parents use phrenology to judge their children’s strengths and weaknesses. Dating couples routinely examine each other skulls to determine if they are compatible. And of course, phrenology is the cornerstone of our criminal justice system.
Imagining life without the science of phrenology is like imagining life without electricity or plumbing.
Currently, mainstream medicine views homeopathy and reiki as pseudoscience. If one reads the history books on phrenology, the exact same terms and techniques are being used discredit homeopathy and reiki. The parallels are stunning: both homeopathy and reiki are called scientifically implausible. So was phrenology. Both homeopathy and reiki are called lucrative practices to take money from gullible people. So was phrenology.
It took many years for mainstream scientists to wake up to phrenology. Now that they have, it is everywhere, of course. It is only matter of time before homeopathy and reiki gain the same mainstream recognition.
