Sex & Character: Authorised Translation from the Sixth German EditionWeininger, Otto
Philosophy
Sex & Character: Authorised Translation from the Sixth German Edition
Weininger, Otto
Character; Sex; Sex (Psychology); Sexual ethics
The problem of physiognomy is the problem of the relation between the
static mental forces and the static bodily forces, just as the problem
of physiological psychology deals with the dynamic aspect of the same
relations. It is a great error in method, and in fact, to treat the
study of physiognomy, because of its difficulty, as impracticable. And
yet this is the attitude of contemporary scientific circles,
unconsciously perhaps rather than consciously, but occasionally becoming
obvious as for instance in the case of the attempt of von Möbius to
pursue the work of Gall with regard to the physiognomy of those with a
natural aptitude for mathematics. If it be possible, and many have shown
that it is possible, to judge correctly much of the character of an
individual merely from the examination of his external appearance,
without the aid of cross-examination or guessing, it cannot be
impossible to reduce such modes of observation to an exact method. There
is little more required than an exact study of the expression of the
characteristic emotions and the tracking (to use a rough analogy) of the
routes of the cables passing to the speech centres.
None the less it will be long before official science ceases to regard
the study of physiognomy as illegitimate. Although people will still
believe in the parallelism of mind and body, they will continue to treat
the physiognomist as as much of a charlatan as until quite recently the
hypnotist was thought to be. None the less, all mankind at least
unconsciously, and intelligent persons consciously, will continue to be
physiognomists, people will continue to judge character from the nose,
although they will not admit the existence of a science of physiognomy,
and the portraits of celebrated men and of murderers will continue to
interest every one.
I am inclined to believe that the assumption of a universally acquired
correspondence between mind and body may be a hitherto neglected
fundamental function of our mind. It is certainly the case that every
one believes in physiognomy and actually practises it. The principle of
the existence of a definite relation between mind and body must be
accepted as an illuminating axiom for psychological research, and it
will be for religion and metaphysics to work out the details of a
relationship which must be accepted as existing.
Whether or no the science of character can be linked with morphology, it
will be valuable not only to these sciences but to physiognomy if we can
penetrate a little deeper into the confusion that now reigns in order to
find if wrong methods have not been responsible for it. I hope that the
attempt I am about to make will lead some little way into the labyrinth,
and will prove to be of general application.
Some men are fond of dogs and detest cats; others are devoted to cats
and dislike dogs. Inquiring minds have delighted to ask in such cases,
Why are cats attractive to one person, dogs to another? Why?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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