So this morning I fell down a rabbit hole. I mean, there I was minding my own business, perusing Burt’s seemingly random list of countries, when I noticed São Tomé and Príncipe and thought, “I know where that is (roughly), and from the name I can tell it must have been a Portuguese colony, but I know nothing else. I should look it up.” So to Wikipedia I went, and that led to a search for the 1897 issue of Scientific American, which led me to Archive.org (cool foldable bicycle!), which… wait, every issue of Scientific American through 1906 is available on Archive.org? Well, there goes my career.
Seriously, how did I not know this? Did you know this? If not, did I just cost you your job as well? (When I learned that I could read 19th century issues of academic journals on JSTOR, an intervention was required to keep me from failing out of grad school.)
Anyway, after reading the March 1897 issue, I went back to 1846 and started from the beginning, and quickly came across this gem among the advertisements in the June 25, 1846 edition (back then it was a 4-page weekly):
PHRENOLOGY
PROSPECTUS OF VOLUME IX., FOR 1847,
OF THE
AMERICAN PHRENOLOGICAL JOURNAL
O.S. FOWLER – Editor.
To reform and perfect Man—to develop, by culture, the original beauties and capabilities of his nature—is a work the most arduous and exalted that can possibly engage human intellect or effort. To do this effectually, however, his nature must be known; and since Phrenology and Physiology imbody his entire constitution, there is no way by which we can so easily become acquainted with ourselves, or for what occupation in life we are best qualified, as by aid of these sciences.
To these subjects and their various applications will this Journal be devoted. It will present,
Each number will analyze one or more of the phrenological organs, both singly and in their various combinations, illustrated by engravings showing their location. Each number will also contain the Phrenological developments and character of some distinguished individual accompanied by their likeness. This department will give just that practical view of Phrenology which is required in order to fully understand its proper application.
To know and obey those laws of lifef and health, unfolded by these sciences, constitutes the main basis and superstructure of talent, virtue, and happiness. This department will also be illustrated by engravings.
Will receive its due attention; and our readers will receive, through this medium, all that is new, interesting and important.
Her character, influence, sphere, and consequent duties; the government and education of children, &c., will be presented in this Journal.
Our field is indeed the world, physical, intellectual, and moral. Human improvement and happiness we shall endeavor to promote. Those, therefore who are interested in the advancement of our race, and would ameliorate their condition, may do so, perhaps more effectually by circulating this Journal than by any other means; for it will imbody the principles of all reform.
This work will be issued monthly, containing thirty-two or more pages, on good type and paper, at the extreme low price of $1.00 per year, in advance.
Subscriptions should, in all cases, be addressed, post paid, to FOWLER & WELLS
Editors and Postmasters are authorized Agents for this work.
Editors who will give the above three inscrtions [I can’t tell what this is supposed to say. – Chris], or who will notice the Journal regularly, shall be entitled to an exchange.
A liberal discount will be made to agents & clubs.
Sample Numbers of the work will be sent gratis when requested.
Words cannot express how cool I think this is. “Our field is indeed the world, physical, intellectual, and moral… Those, therefore who are interested in the advancement of our race, and would ameliorate their condition, may do so, perhaps more effectually by circulating this Journal than by any other means.” Undoubtedly.
I looked up 131 Nassau St. on Google Earth. It’s a Blimpie’s Sub shop now. Rather less charming, I should say.Report
It looks like it’s way downtown, not too far from the WTC, just off the Brooklyn Bridge. I tried to find a picture of the area from 1850, but couldn’t. I imagine it was much… shorter. The street itself appears to date to the late 17th century.
Also, this is O.S. Fowler. He was apparently very big in phrenology at the time.
http://www.steubencony.org/Files/Documents/halloffame/Fowler,%20Orson.jpgReport
So, what “scientific” concept do we believe in, quite strongly, that will look like a steaming plate of malarkey (with a side of ice-cold hooey) in 150 or so years?Report
I imagine much of my field.
“Brains as digital computers? How quaint!”Report
“They honestly thought that they provided nutrients to themselves via the barbaric practice of “eating”, rather than how they meditated on the universe! It’s a wonder they didn’t all die!”Report
I’d guess that we’re going to find out that a lot more of us is hardwired than we think*, and so a lot of psychology is going to change.
* – Which, as someone that has historically had a higher locus-of-control, would break my heart.Report
One of the things we’ve learned in the last 50 years, maybe the last century, is just how little conscious control we have over our mental processes. I don’t mean in a Freudian, Jungian, or Lacanian sense (though I find all three intriguing), but in a “it just happens below the level of awareness in ways that we can only gleam through heterophenomenology” (to use a long word) sense. I suspect that over the next 50 years, this will become even more apparent, and regardless of what we learn about the extent to which we’re hard-wired, it will show us that even what we learn and how it affects our thinking is pretty much outside of our control.
Maybe it will turn out that we can learn a lot about how these things work by feeling bumps on people’s heads.Report
Along these lines, given that most philosophies of education are less than 150 years old, I have a feeling things will be very, very different in another 150 years.
Other things I could see looking barbaric:
– Any medical procedure that causes pain (e.g., needles)
– Our pisspoor methods for predicting the weather (if we don’t have outright control over it, we’ll be much better at predicting it)
– Our general notion of animal sentience (and perhaps by that time, plant sentience)Report
Oh man, the weather’s a good one. “Meteorology was like phrenology, but for physics.”Report
Chris,
Some people are better at gleaning information from subconscious processes than others. A whole hell of a lot can be done with training…Report
Kazzy,
We have gotten better with the weather, by leaps and bounds.
Of course, I’m in the Allegheny Front, so what the hell do I know?
The folks down in WV tell ya a different story (other than it never rains on North Fork).Report
All the social sciences will be unrecognizable, economics and psychology in particular. Transplanting organs, as opposed to growing new ones, will seem barbaric. Easy, foolproof temporary sterility will make our culture wars about abortion sound like a moral debate between the Huns and the Mongols.
And controlled fusion will only be 25 years away.Report
I have a cold fusion machine in my linen closet. I’m just waiting for the scientific establishment to be ready for it.Report
Chris, I keep telling you, a mini-frudge full of Fuze is not a cold fusion machine.Report
The right combination of carbonation, caffeine, and citric acid produces the precise amount of energy necessary to fuse two hydrogen atoms. I keep submitting my paper on this method, but it’s rejected without a request to resubmit. The fools!Report
His cold fusion machine keeps causing brownouts in north Austin.Report
Dude, hipsters use a lot of electricity, what with all their electric beard trimmers and mustache shapers. They keep overwhelming the grid up here.Report
I thought hipsters were into making their own electricity now.Report
Insert a joke here about hipsters only doing thermonuclear fusion, because they were doing it before it was cool.Report
Please let it be dentistry.Report