"Gilding the pen": why palmistry is a deception

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Spoiler: the lines on the palms are only needed so that we can bend and unbend them freely.

Many people still believe not only in psychics, but also in science-like esoteric disciplines, such as palmistry. Lifehacker tells why there is no fundamental difference between them.

What is palmistry

Palmistry (from the Greek "hand" + "fortune-telling") is a fortune-telling system based on the appearance of the palm, lines and bumps on it. This technique is sometimes also called Palmistry. Britannica Hirosophia. Palmists believe that they are capable of telling about the character of a person, his way of life, past and future by the shape of the hand and the patterns on it.

Palmistry should not be confused with dermatoglyphics - a pseudoscientific method for diagnosing diseases by studying the relief of the palms.

There is Podomancy. Footfiles is also a fortune telling system on the feet - pedomancy.

People who believe in palmistry consider N. Nepryakhin. Anatomy of delusions. A great book on critical thinking. - M., 2020, that the bumps on the palm and fingers of the hand are associated with seven planets known from antiquity. This makes palmistry related to astrology. Some consider it part of physiognomy. But one way or another, it is an occult Palmistry. Britannica teaching.

Typically, the palmist begins with a review of Khurana P. The Mystery Of Palmistry (A Guide To The Art And Science Of Palm Reading). Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd. 2012 leading hand (the one with which a person performs everyday activities: eats, writes, and so on). It is believed that it represents a reasonable beginning (or the present of a person), and the other palm represents the subconscious (or hereditary traits, information about "past lives" and "karma").

Interestingly, the International Labor Organization (a division of the UN) has placed palmists, astrologers and numerologists in the personal services section of the International Codifier of Professions and Specialties - on a par with waiters, hairdressers and guides.

The palmist can bend the client's arm so that the folds of the palm appear more clearly. In different teachings of palmistry, the main elements differ, but basically there are three main lines:

• life(vitality, vigor, physical health and general well-being);
• heads(consciousness, work, communication and learning style);
• hearts(emotions and love).

Also, the palmist analyzes a number of auxiliary lines (fate, the Sun, Venus and other planets, marriage, and so on). The points where they begin and end, curvature, length and depth of furrows, and the presence of ramifications are taken into account. Also, much attention is paid to N. Nepryakhin Anatomy of delusions. A great book on critical thinking. - M., 2020 bumps in the palm of your hand. All this can be interpreted in different ways: from connection with the planets and signs of the zodiac to the conduction of energy from one part of the hand to another.

The most obvious example is the use of the life line to determine the date of death of a person, the number of children, the moment of meeting with a future partner, financial success.

However, some palmists deny Baker B. Why do some believe in palmistry? Illusory correlation, says science. Philly Voice is able to predict specific life events and insist that their teaching can only suggest a direction, a trend.

Palmists also pay attention to the shape and color of the palm, fingers and wrist, correlating them with one of the elements. Thus, they distinguish terrestrial, air, water and fiery types. For example, if a person has an elongated or oval palm, and the distance from the wrist to the fingers is less than its width, then his hand is considered water.

How did palmistry originate and what is it based on?

Palmistry was popularized by Palmistry. Britannica in many cultures of antiquity: India, Nepal, Tibet, China, Persia, Babylon, Sumeria, Phenicia, Egypt, Greece. In India, where palmistry remains a significant part of culture, it is believed that the poet Valmiki was the first to write about such a system several thousand years ago. Perhaps it was from this country that fortune-telling by hand spread throughout the world through the gypsies, but Palmistry does not know for sure. Britannica. It seems that palmistry was born out of astrology.

Hints that a person's palms contain information about the world around them are also found in the Old Testament (VI-IV centuries BC):

He puts a seal on the hand of every person so that all people will know His work.

Book of Job. 37: 7

However, this does not mean that the Bible approves of palmistry. Rather, on the contrary: any fortune-telling, according to her, was forbidden by Moses.

The first written works on palmistry are believed to have been left by Aristotle. Other ancient authors who studied it were Hippocrates and Anaxagoras. The ancient Greeks largely redesigned the Palmistry. Britannica palmistry according to her astrological views.

Fortune telling by the palm was widespread in the Middle Ages. For example, witch hunters considered the Palmistry. Britannica age spots on the palms are a sign of witchcraft.

Medieval authors have published several books on palmistry. The creator of one Complete palmistry of John the Philosopher. Witch's Kitchen: Useful Secrets. - St. Petersburg, 2009, one of the most famous was a certain Simon Shearingam, who wrote under the pseudonym John the Philosopher.

Nevertheless, palmistry was considered one of the seven forbidden arts along with, for example, necromancy. Since the 16th century, the popes actively fought against all kinds of predictions and witchcraft.

After that, the next book on palmistry was published only in the 17th century. For some time, the hand prediction system was even taught by N. Nepryakhin. Anatomy of delusions. A great book on critical thinking. - M., 2020 at German universities.

A new round of interest in palmistry was observed in the 19th century. An important contribution to this was made by N. Nepryakhin. Anatomy of delusions. A great book on critical thinking. - M., 2020 the work of the Frenchman Casimir d'Arpentigny and the activities of his compatriot, artist Adolphe Debarrol. In 1860, Debarrol released the book Debarrol A. Secrets of the Hand. - Noginsk, 2016 "Secrets of the hand", and in 1879 invented the technique of imprinting a human palm.

Another famous palmist was the Irishman William John Warner, known by the pseudonyms Louis Jamon and Heiro (Hiro). He allegedly learned this art from an Indian guru. Heiro is believed to have foretold the fate of Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain and King George IV of Great Britain.

Why palmistry doesn't work

Experimental psychology has long denied the possibility of palmistry. The skeptics' main thesis is that there is no empirical (that is, experimental) evidence of the potential of this system.

For example, psychologist Ray Hyman says that in his youth he himself believed in palmistry and practiced palm reading. Once Dr. Stanley Sachs asked him to voice to his visitors not what their hands "said", but the exact opposite. Following the advice, Hyman was surprised to find that this did not diminish the success of his sessions in the eyes of gullible people. Therefore, he began to classify the work of palmists as the practice of "cold reading."

"Cold reading" is based on the fact that the "fortuneteller" (magician, psychic, palmist), based on the person's appearance and conversation with him, puts forward general assumptions about his life. During the conversation, the "reader" quickly abandons erroneous guesses and clings to successful ones. As a result, the subject of this fraudulent technique is himself reported by Steiner B. Cold Reading. The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience. ABC ‑ CLIO. 2002 everything that he wants to hear from the "fortuneteller". Cold reading is usually associated with the Barnum (Forer) effect.

In the case of reading by hand, knowledge of the characteristics of individual biology is added to the above. For example, guitarists often have calluses on their fingers and short nails. This allows us to draw a conclusion about the "musical talent" and "creative potential" of a person even without studying palmistry.

Similarly, the appearance of the hand can be Palmistry. Britannica to determine how healthy and clean a person is, what his profession is and what kind of psychological state he is. For example, the latter can be recognized by the burrs on the fingers.

By the way, Kim G., Orwig J. Forget palm reading, here’s the real reason we have lines on our hands. Business Insider so that we can flex and extend the hand and fingers the way we want. Otherwise, during movements (for example, squeezing the palm), excess skin would gather in folds and interfere with the effective functioning of the limbs.

According to Baker B. Why do some believe in palmistry? Illusory correlation, says science. Philly Voice professor of psychology James Herbert, belief in palmistry can be explained by the peculiarities of the human brain - it, in fact, is a "search organ for patterns." It is much easier to believe in the esoteric connection of the lines on the hand with the events taking place than to look for their real reasons. Herbert calls this illusory correlation and notes that palmists avoid scientific methods of testing their technique. He also talks about the phenomenon of confirmation bias, which makes us tend to believe only in things that are consistent with our existing beliefs.

According to VTsIOM polls, 8% of Russians believe Towards Halloween 2012: who believes in zombies? VTsIOM in palm divination. The profit of the "owners of paranormal abilities" in Russia is estimated by I. Polonsky. Russians spend two billion a year on sorcerers. Free Press at least $ 2 billion.

Modern palmistry is trying to keep up with the times, actively pretending to be Nepryakhin N. Anatomy of delusions. A great book on critical thinking. - M., 2020 science. New palmists offer to undergo a "dermatoglyphic study", explore their potential using computer analysis of the palm print (for example, to choose their preferred sport), use Baker B. Why do some believe in palmistry? Illusory correlation, says science. Philly Voice this system in schools and when recruiting employees. At the same time, back in 2016, a special commission of the Russian Academy of Sciences recognized dermatoglyphics as a pseudoscience.

Another dubious thesis of palmists in support of their concept is that it has stood the test of time and has a rich history. But this fact is not a criterion of truth. Astrology, numerology and other occult practices have also been around for thousands of years, but this does not mean that they actually work.

Palmistry is a pseudoscience and superstition, which can nevertheless impress an inexperienced person. And also a great example of how people can sincerely believe in the most impractical things.