IN A world where science and progress are highly regarded, to many, those that are not scientific are quickly dismissed as being bogus or unsubstantial. However, science has its limits—it cannot tell you your hidden talent nor predict when you will meet your soulmate. This is where pseudoscience can help out. Call it unscientific, but it is still a fun way to find answers to often unsolvable questions. For this month’s reporter’s pick, we lead you to the mystical and fantastical world of pseudoscience!
Phuong Nguyen (Editor, Photo Div.): Palmistry
Palmistry traces its origin to various ancient Euro-Asian cultures and remains a popular pseudoscience in contemporary time. By judging the length and the sharpness of the hand lines, one is supposed to be able to determine various information such as a person’s longevity, career or marriage prospect. Palmistry is my favorite pseudoscience because it gives me spiritual encouragement in difficult times. Whenever I run into an obstacle, I would look at my Life line and tell myself that I am only one-fourth of my life journey and that there is a bright future along the line!
Ko Young-kyun (Reporter, Campus Reporting Div.): Graphology (pil-jeog-hak)
A quick search on google reveals that some still believe that you can tell a person’s personality by how they write. Who would really think that the thickness of your font tells anything about yourself other than the tip size of your ballpoint pen? And even if some people did believe in it, why should you care? But as it turns out, graphology may be practiced by experts who use it to help profile criminals. “Experts,” ladies and gentlemen. All paid for by yours truly. Let’s hope that criminals just text or use magazine cut-outs to communicate so we can put an end to this waste of taxpayer money.
Mun Su-hyeon (Reporter, Campus Reporting Div.): Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
“What is your personality type? Check it out with this simple questionnaire.” Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, or the MBTI test, identifies you as one of 16 personality types. Each category follows a dichotomy, Extraversion(E) and Introversion(I), Sensing(S) and Intuitive(N), Thinking(T) and Feeling(F), and Judging(J) and Perceiving(P). The MBTI test has become extremely popular in recent years thanks to its convenience in identifying one’s personality type. However, it’s validity has been challenged. Some point out its unreliability as test-takers often receive different results upon testing more than once. Meanwhile, others hold the impression that the test sees right through you.
Yi Nuri (Editor, World Affairs Div.): Physiognomy (gwan-sang-hak)
Would you believe that your life is pre-determined by your looks? According to physiognomy, it is pretty much already destined. Physiognomy dates back to B.C. 770 China. Physiognomists would foretell the future by assessing people’s faces: eyes, nose, lips, and so on. For example, your nose is a cue of your economic fortune and your forehead would be referring to your early age luck. Some people place too much trust in this theory that they undergo plastic surgery for a better future. However, physiognomy has no scientific evidence to prove its validity. This is why I suggest you smile more to bring positive energy into your life instead of blindly falling for physiognomy.
Kim Shin-young (Reporter, Culture Div.): Tarot Card
If you’re ever wandering around the streets of Seoul not knowing how to kill time, I suggest you find a Tarot Card reading nearby and try it out. Tarot readers use cards to gain insight into a person’s past, present, and future. You can easily spot tarot reading places, usually in tents, in the busy streets of Seoul. Most tarot readings cost around only ₩5,000 for a simple reading, and around ₩20,000-₩30,000 for a comprehensive one. Nowadays, you could also try out a quick tarot reading on YouTube channels where the YouTuber pre-records all the different possible interpretations.
Kim Da-eun (Reporter, Campus Reporting Div.): Astrology
Many newspapers have a separate “Today’s Fortune” section where readers can predict their fate on a daily basis depending on their zodiac constellations. There are 12 zodiac signs in total and a person’s zodiac constellation is decided simply by one’s birth date. It is, at times, surprising when zodiac sign readings successfully predict your future. However, it is important to keep in mind that, regardless of how convincing the results are, zodiac signs are not scientifically proven. This is why you should take the zodiac constellations less seriously and just consider them as something fun to read!