Background
Several thousand years ago, Chinese sages laid the foundation for knowing and changing the world, which is now comprehended as Feng Shui. In the twentieth century, this science became known in the West, and since then, its popularity has only been growing (Momentum Feng Shui, 2020). At the same time, as any mass phenomenon, it has become an object of criticism, which boils down to accusing Feng Shui of pseudoscience.
The primary objective of Feng Shui is to bring the space of life to the optimum, in which people can carry out their activities comfortably and efficiently. It states that every space has definite zones, and one can activate their energy by putting a certain object (Kryžanowski, 2021). Thus, if the furniture is arranged according to Feng Shui, the house will have more happiness and less disease.
No less important a place in the theory is the statement about the system of five elements. They define whether the object’s interior is harmonious while the energy Qi penetrates everything (Kryžanowski, 2021). Representatives of this science defend its validity while evaluating statements that allow one to prove the opposite.
A Skeptical View of Feng Shui
Numerous statements are within the framework of Feng Shui, but all of them, in one way or another, lead to the influence of the arrangement of interior objects on life and well-being. That is why the evaluation of this very statement is taken as a basis for the research. First of all, it is noteworthy that scientists have repeatedly conducted experiments in which several gurus of the teachings of Feng Shui were asked to set the furniture.
Most alarming is that each following scientist completely rearranged everything that surely placed their predecessor (Matthews, 2019). These experiments alone contribute to disproving the evidence base of Feng Shui by questioning it as a science. One can conclude that, in most cases, the logical approach to interior planning principles is partly based on Feng Shui principles.
An example is the idea of not cluttering up the center of the house so that the energy Qi flows evenly (Matthews, 2019). Such a statement is obvious and does not require an argument with Qi energy because cluttered space causes hardships. All Feng Shui arguments are based on energy flows; simultaneously, they can be explained with another science or logic without involving magical powers.
Furthermore, the statement that objects have a magical ability to influence a person’s fate is invalid. All these tools and tricks for attracting love, money, and success to the house will work when the person, by a volitional decision, changes something in life. At the same time, there is practically no evidence base for Feng Shui; just as few people can prove the changes in their lives after rearranging furniture (Kryžanowski, 2021). It is incompatible with science to believe that harmony and balance derive from manipulating and directing non-physical forces or energies. Such methods belong to the world of witchcraft.
Feng Shui as Pseudoscience
The evidence for Feng Shui’s effectiveness is mainly anecdotal, and users are often offered conflicting advice from different practitioners. Critical analysts have described it this way: “Feng Shui has always been based on mere speculation” (Matthews, 2019). It has become an aspect of interior decoration in the Western world, with supposed masters hiring themselves for huge sums of money. It can be called not just pseudoscience but a real fraud that does not improve people’s lives and has no real evidence.
Therefore, the scientific nature of Feng Shui is highly doubtful, and most often, it is associated with pseudoscience. Science is an experimental study of phenomena of the material world, and Feng Shui is nothing more than a collection of elements of Oriental mysticism. It has not brought any benefits to academic science (Kryžanowski, 2021). Moreover, the famous red flag is superstition, which is the basis of Feng Shui, but is unfamiliar to any science.
Finally, as scholars rightly observe, “Lillian Tu’s logic is purely sectarian. The system is always right” (Matthews, 2019). If people following the canons of Feng Shui have not achieved a positive result, the problem is with them. Such a statement directly contradicts the principle of facts used in science. Thus, the pseudoscientific claims of Feng Shui are completely outside the scope of science.
It is necessary to note that Feng Shui courses must be paid for, and the fee increases with each new step. In the absence of a single religious cult, the commercial side of the Feng Shui practice is visible, which allows it to be characterized as a cult and pseudoscience (Matthews, 2019). Real science moves slowly, questioning everything, pondering objections, scrutinizing cases that contradict the primary hypothesis, and thus deepening knowledge. At the same time, Feng Shui gurus do not question their assertions, and their proposed hypotheses have limitless effects.
Financial Costs
Equally important is the financial aspect because society has not yet discarded Feng Shui as a science, which is worth a lot of money to the individuals themselves. Most Feng Shui consultants charge by square foot, with an average cost ranging from $0.50 to $2 per square foot (Matthews, 2019). The expenses include the purchase of additional furnishings, the price of which varies considerably.
It is difficult to imagine the global scale of spending on the arrangement of objects according to pseudoscience. At the same time, one person spends about two thousand dollars on their application (Matthews, 2019). At the same time, pseudoscience itself does not carry any serious risks other than financial ones. It is everyone’s business to believe in it or not. Still, before changing the interior, it is worth considering whether there is at least one convincing piece of evidence within this pseudoscience.
References
Kryžanowski, Š. (2021). Feng shui: A comprehensive review of its effectiveness based on evaluation studies. Indian Journal of Scientific Research, 7(11), 61-71.
Matthews, M. R. (2019). Feng shui: Teaching about science and pseudoscience. Dordrecht: Springer.
Momentum Feng Shui. (2020). How to prepare your home for a Feng Shui consultation. Web.