Phrenology And Society
How Phrenology Proliferated Through American Society
The prominent attraction of phrenology was its promise to define the natural causes behind mental phenomena. A science of the mind could place accountability for insanity or disease, while also proposing humane remedies that were often preferable to the alternatives. Despite its often-contradictory claims of phrenology, the latitude of interpretation offered by phrenology allowed the pseudoscience to proliferate throughout society and create a loyal backing of supporters from all walks of life. It divided mankind into racial categories that were qualitative as well as quantitative, making its followers respect the merits they discovered in those who differed from themselves. While maintaining
The prominent attraction of phrenology was its promise to define the natural causes behind mental phenomena. A science of the mind could place accountability for insanity or disease, while also proposing humane remedies that were often preferable to the alternatives. Despite its often-contradictory claims of phrenology, the latitude of interpretation offered by phrenology allowed the pseudoscience to proliferate throughout society and create a loyal backing of supporters from all walks of life. It divided mankind into racial categories that were qualitative as well as quantitative, making its followers respect the merits they discovered in those who differed from themselves. While maintaining