Anthroposcopy

/ˌænθroʊˈpɒskəpi/ noun

Definition

The practice of judging human character, abilities, or qualities by observing physical features or appearance.

Etymology

From Greek 'anthropos' (human) + 'skopein' (to look/examine). This term was popular in the 19th century during the rise of physiognomy, the (largely discredited) science of reading character from faces.

Kelly Says

Anthroposcopy was taken seriously by Victorian scientists who believed you could tell if someone was a criminal just by measuring their skull—it's basically the grandfather of today's dangerous facial recognition bias problems.

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