What general term and/or adjective do Astrology, Numerology, Palmistry, etc., fall under?
Asked by
flo (
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)
January 11th, 2012
And would you add others that fall in the same category?
For scientists and the like they come under the word “fraud”, What other word can you think of?
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41 Answers
Everyone,
thanks but can we add some others to the list too.
@flo I’m agnostic on most things. I’m not convinced they are conned. :)
Shamans.
The University degree equivalent would be a BS in Science.
The paranormal.
Also – ”spritualist” does not mean the same thing as “spiritual”.
@dappled_leaves
I got this from thefreedictionary.com. I have never heard of a spiritualist church or movement as a distinct and coordinated belief system. Thank you, I will check it out.
spir·i·tu·al·ism (spr-ch—lzm) n.
1.
a. The belief that the dead communicate with the living, as through a medium.
b. The practices or doctrines of those holding such a belief.
2. A philosophy, doctrine, or religion emphasizing the spiritual aspect of being.
spiri·tu·al·ist n.
spiri·tu·al·istic adj.
Response moderated (Off-Topic)
New Age, Occult, Spiritualism, and you could add Reiki, Psychic abilities, Tarot Card Readings, Wicca. Those are a few that come to mind.
I’d call them “Divination”, or attempts at it, anyway.
Money making scams against the desperate and gullible?
I wonder if you could put these under the Theosophy umbrella?
Fraud.
I mean it. I think people who sell these services should be prosecuted for fraud.
ethno psycraft… read hocum
The occult if they get results, exploitation if they’re just BSing.
Esotericism or pseudoscience.
@GladysMensch I think that ‘quackery’ is limited to pseudomedicine.
By the way, Schwachsinn = Dementia, according to:
This
I don’t know if it is the best translation or not.
-”Money making scams against the desperate and gullible?” Yes!
-”Fraud.
I mean it. I think people who sell these services should be prosecuted for fraud.“Yes!
“Chicanery” Yes!
“Quackery” Yes! (even if the word is related to false medicine).
Anyone who plays with people’s emotional state and who takes their money too should be prosecuted.
@Imadethisupwithnoforethought . ”...I’m not convinced they are conned. :)”
There are people who send money to people who they only met online just because they are too lonley. They are not really being conned. Desperate people will make themselves believe what makes no sense.
…and the people who are doing the conning know that they conning people regardless of what they tell themselves.
@ragingloli: Thank you for the laugh-of-the-moning. Trust the Germans to be, if nothing else, efficient.
@Qingu called it fraud, @mattbrowne used big words “Esotericism or pseudoscience” They’re both right.
@Ron_C at least the pseudoscience has the pseudo part but
Esotericism I don’t know if that says Fraud at all. It is one of those words that helps the fraudsters.
Look at this
dictionary.
esoteric [ˌɛsəʊˈtɛrɪk]
adj
1. restricted to or intended for an enlightened or initiated minority,...
@flo Esotericism certainly appeals to people. Most people, in fact, and even in earnest. We all love a secret.
But the victims of fraud… @Nullo… I’m not saying it doesn’t appeal to people. Lots of bad things appeal to people.
The dictionary is helping the fraudsters It doesn’t say the perpertrators (I can’t think of the better word) claim that you need to be smart to get it.
The definition is no longer in the link I posted above.
This
Shouldn’t something be there to indicate that there was, instead of the blank page?
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