The Constitution of Man

The Constitution of Man (or more completely, The Constitution of Man Considered in Relation to External Objects) first published in 1828 is a work by George Combe, who is credited with popularizing the pseudoscience of Phrenology.[1] Combe argues that the human mind is best understood through phrenology, and that the relative size of the various regions of the brain defined by phrenology determines a person's behavior and potential interactions with the external world. In The Constitution of Man, Combe uses phrenology to create a practical science of morality,[2] proposing that conforming to natural laws leads to happiness based on the phrenological understanding of human nature.[3] The book was an international bestseller, selling at least 100,000 copies in Britain alone[4] and over 300,000 copies worldwide by 1855, largely due to the publication of the 'people's edition,'[5] making it one of the best-sellers of the nineteenth century.[6]

  1. ^ Parssinen, T. M. (1974-01-01). "Popular Science and Society: The Phrenology Movement in Early Victorian Britain". Journal of Social History. 8 (1): 1–20. doi:10.1353/jsh/8.1.1. JSTOR 3786523. PMID 11632363.
  2. ^ Gibbon, Charles (1878). The Life of George Combe, author of "The Constitution of Man". London: Macmillan and Co. p. 211.
  3. ^ Combe, George (1974). The constitution of man considered in relation to external objects. Scholar's Facsimiles and Reprints. p. 142. ISBN 9780820111360. OCLC 311210565.
  4. ^ Secord, James A. (2015). Visions of Science Books and Readers at the Dawn of the Victorian Age. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 193. ISBN 9780226203287. OCLC 923634059.
  5. ^ Wright, Peter (2005-01-01). "George Combe – Phrenologist, Philosopher, Psychologist (1788-1858)". Cortex. 41 (4): 447–451. doi:10.1016/S0010-9452(08)70185-0. PMID 16042021. S2CID 4486798.
  6. ^ Walsh, Anthony A. (1971-07-01). "George Combe: A portrait of a heretofore generally unknown behaviorist". Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences. 7 (3): 269–278. doi:10.1002/1520-6696(197107)7:3<269::aid-jhbs2300070305>3.0.co;2-6. ISSN 1520-6696. PMID 11609418.