[Sigia-l] RE: phrenology

[Rich Manzano]

So lumps on which quadrant of the skull indicate a propensity toward being
pedantic? ;-)

Whether that's a sure sign that the victim...er, I mean subject...should or
should not pursue a career in IA/UX, I leave to this august body to debate.

OK, I'm off to the antique store. I'm pretty sure I saw one of those skull
maps for sale cheap...

Rich Manzano
Freelance UI Designer

 -----Original Message-----
"Frank Siraguso" wrote:
>>> Still, I think IA could be more "scientific."
>> More or less 'scientific' than, say, psychology?
> maybe more than phrenology.

IA should be so lucky! :-)

A lot of the basic premises of phrenology have actually been shown to be far
closer to the truth than you may realize. That many of the brain's functions
are localized (which modern MRI demonstrate clearly) was something
phrenologists championed. Or that those areas of the brain that are more
frequently used may become enlarged with use is also observable with modern
methods. When modern Palaeontologists suggest that an enlarged node at
Broca's region is evidence of early hominids' language use, it's size and
localized function again, as phrenologists would see it. For phrenologists
'the mind' was indeed nothing more than functioning human brain, something
current 'scientists' would not snicker at. To the extend that we are mappers
of information and phrenologists mappers of the mind to the brain, we are
practically kissin' cousins. :-)

Ziya
Nullius in Verba