Fake skull science is back - and it's still racist

It's Been a Minute

NPR

News Commentary, Society & Culture, News, Spirituality, Religion & Spirituality

4.6 • 8.8K Ratings

🗓️ 16 April 2025

⏱️ 21 minutes

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Summary

Can the shape of your skull or the look of your face say something deeper about you? Like – if you're a good parent? Or if you're smart? Or if you're more likely to be a criminal? Well – the answer is no, absolutely not. But in the past, some scientists used the pseudosciences of phrenology, which studied the skull, and physiognomy, which studied the face, to try to prove that how you look says something about who you are on the inside. Again, it's junk science. But something peculiar is happening: it seems like there's been more interest lately in some of the ideas behind phrenology and physiognomy. From "witch skulls and angel skulls," to the skull geometry of transvestigations, to the question of whether AI can detect gay faces – it seems like more and more, people want to categorize each other with just a look at their heads. Brittany is joined by Yale professor of philosophy Lily Hu and Rolling Stone culture writer Miles Klee to understand the appeal and the consequences of fake skull and face science coming back around in the culture.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Eric Glass.
0:01.8	In Lily's family, there's a story everybody knows by heart.
0:05.2	If this story had never happened...
0:06.8	All of us wouldn't be here right now.
0:08.6	Sammy wouldn't be here.
0:09.7	Annie wouldn't be here.
0:10.8	Wally wouldn't be here.
0:12.3	Anyone that we know wouldn't be here.
0:14.9	So what happens when Lily's mom tells her, this story is not true?
0:20.0	This American life, surprising stories, every week.
0:26.4	Hello, hello. I'm Brittany Luce, and you're listening to It's Been a Minute from NPR, a show about what's going on in culture and why it doesn't happen by accident.
0:49.6	Can the shape of your skull or the look of your face say something deeper about you?
0:57.7	Like if you're a good parent or if you're, or if you're more likely to be a criminal.
1:01.9	Well, the answer is no, absolutely not. But in the past, some scientists used the pseudosciences of phrenology, which studied the skull, and physiognomy, which studied the face, to try to prove that how you
1:11.8	look says something about who you are on the inside. Again, it's junk science, totally fake. However,
1:20.0	these junk sciences were used towards some pretty racist ends. Phrenologists used to rank people by race from most to least evolved just by using
1:32.2	the shapes of their skulls. So phrenology is a classic hit now in the pseudosciences.
1:37.8	That's Yale Professor of Philosophy, Lily Who. She studies social science, race, and machine learning.
1:43.9	She's here with me today,
1:45.2	along with Rolling Stone Culture writer Miles Clee. How's it going? Because something peculiar
1:49.9	is happening. To my eye, there's been more interest lately in some of the ideas behind
1:54.8	phrenology and physiognomy. From quote unquote, witch skulls and angel skulls, to the skull geometry of transvestigators,
	...

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