Physiognomic theories between equation and inference

Abstract

Abstract Physiognomy finds itself in a strange position. On the one hand, it is considered false and even dangerous by common sense as a pseudo-scientific theory; on the other hand, it is implicitly practiced by everyone every day (Brandt 1980. Face reading. The persistence of physiognomy. Psychology Today 14(7). 90–96). This situation calls for an explanation. After a brief discussion of the problems of classical physiognomic theories, I will show how they embody the equational model of the sign and how this perspective helps in the understanding of why physiognomy have proved to be false. I will then introduce two recent articles by Dumouchel (2022. Making faces. Topoi 41. 631–639) and Crippen and Rolla (2022. Faces and situational agency. Topoi 41. 659–670) that address the perception of faces from a situated and ecological point of view. I will argue that these theories embody the inferential model of the sign, thus paving the way for a new science of the face.