Lily Hu

You know, we live in such a visual culture where we're examining faces all the time. And so in that sense, it's not a surprise that people are trying this out just simply because... They've all become experts at the human face in the last five years. And so why not try to identify some correlations? You know, you're spending all this time collecting all this data.

You know, we live in such a visual culture where we're examining faces all the time. And so in that sense, it's not a surprise that people are trying this out just simply because... They've all become experts at the human face in the last five years. And so why not try to identify some correlations? You know, you're spending all this time collecting all this data.

You know, we live in such a visual culture where we're examining faces all the time. And so in that sense, it's not a surprise that people are trying this out just simply because... They've all become experts at the human face in the last five years. And so why not try to identify some correlations? You know, you're spending all this time collecting all this data.

You might as well come up with some new theory about faces and personality. I mean, of course, in the end, it's not actually that playful.

You might as well come up with some new theory about faces and personality. I mean, of course, in the end, it's not actually that playful.

You might as well come up with some new theory about faces and personality. I mean, of course, in the end, it's not actually that playful.

Yeah, phrenology was most ascendant as a science in the 19th century, but it really grew in prominence because it seemed to provide answers to longstanding social questions. So questions like, who are the criminals in society? Or in the American context, how are we going to incorporate the enslaved population or the free black population or the Native American population into the broader society?

Yeah, phrenology was most ascendant as a science in the 19th century, but it really grew in prominence because it seemed to provide answers to longstanding social questions. So questions like, who are the criminals in society? Or in the American context, how are we going to incorporate the enslaved population or the free black population or the Native American population into the broader society?

Yeah, phrenology was most ascendant as a science in the 19th century, but it really grew in prominence because it seemed to provide answers to longstanding social questions. So questions like, who are the criminals in society? Or in the American context, how are we going to incorporate the enslaved population or the free black population or the Native American population into the broader society?

In Europe, the questions have more to do with the degenerate type or the criminal type. And phrenology becomes a potential sort of answer to these social questions, figuring out how we're going to sort out these populations and handle them, whether those populations are those that are being colonized or even the enemy, as it were, from within.

In Europe, the questions have more to do with the degenerate type or the criminal type. And phrenology becomes a potential sort of answer to these social questions, figuring out how we're going to sort out these populations and handle them, whether those populations are those that are being colonized or even the enemy, as it were, from within.

In Europe, the questions have more to do with the degenerate type or the criminal type. And phrenology becomes a potential sort of answer to these social questions, figuring out how we're going to sort out these populations and handle them, whether those populations are those that are being colonized or even the enemy, as it were, from within.

It turns out that you really have a difficult time finding out who is a criminal based on the shape of their skull or the look of their face. So physiognomy and phrenology is just not working from a working perspective. Like it's not able to do the kinds of things that some people expected them to do.

It turns out that you really have a difficult time finding out who is a criminal based on the shape of their skull or the look of their face. So physiognomy and phrenology is just not working from a working perspective. Like it's not able to do the kinds of things that some people expected them to do.

It turns out that you really have a difficult time finding out who is a criminal based on the shape of their skull or the look of their face. So physiognomy and phrenology is just not working from a working perspective. Like it's not able to do the kinds of things that some people expected them to do.

There's this disciplining, right, which says you can't construct your fate. That's all biologically determined. And, you know, it's their job to police that and to enforce it as social reality. Stick around.

There's this disciplining, right, which says you can't construct your fate. That's all biologically determined. And, you know, it's their job to police that and to enforce it as social reality. Stick around.

There's this disciplining, right, which says you can't construct your fate. That's all biologically determined. And, you know, it's their job to police that and to enforce it as social reality. Stick around.

Yeah, I think that the reason for that is because there continues to be real material problems out in the world that motivate this science, in quotes. Like, we need to figure out problems in the world, right? And scientists are trying to pick up those questions. For example, what explains the fact that our prisons are full of Black people?

Yeah, I think that the reason for that is because there continues to be real material problems out in the world that motivate this science, in quotes. Like, we need to figure out problems in the world, right? And scientists are trying to pick up those questions. For example, what explains the fact that our prisons are full of Black people?