GALILEA, Yari

LUA, Ella
NGCHEE, Fran
FRESCO, Drozle
TAN, Jorryn
Feng Shui: Science or Pseudoscience?

Feng Shui is built upon the belief that the five elements (metal, wood, water, fire, and
earth) create or eliminate one another. In the past, people were convinced that placing a sword on
top of a bowl on a cold night will bring them water in the morning. However, we now know that
this is simply the process of condensation wherein the water vapor concentrates on metal, turning
it into water. Feng Shui also claims the sun ray represents “Yang”, the positive energy. The
abundance of Yang Qi in one’s place of dwelling enriches one’s quality character, becoming
proactive, outgoing, and positive thinking.
Feng Shui makes use of psychobabble in its various practices such as its terms and
principles. Psychobabble is talking about a subject matter where words may sound scientific. The
word is derived from the combination of the words, “psychology” and “babble” which means to
utter meaningless and unintelligible sounds. It is often difficult to understand and can obfuscate
the meaning of relatively simple ideas. (GoodTherapy, 2016 ). An imperative example of
psychobabble in Feng Shui is, “Qi”. Qi in Feng Shui is an intangible form of energy that is
responsible for providing the breath of life to everything. By the circulation of Yin Qi and Yang
Qi, everything is formed, with this contrast relation in the nucleus — the negative and positive
leads to a balance in the macro and microenvironment. However, Qi is boarded on superstition
making it a mystical pseudoscience because it is an unexplained phenomenon. (Beanato, 2021).
“If this type of energy were so powerful, it would be child’s play to demonstrate its reality.”
There is no substantial evidence for Qi in general. (Matthews, 2019).
To prove the effectiveness of Feng Shui, users or aspiring ones mostly rely on anecdotal
evidence such as quotes from long-time users of the practice. In an article by Ren and Woudstra
(2022), it was stated that they interviewed Chen, a resident of Xinwu who practices Feng Shui.
She said in their interview, “They invited Master Tao to practice Feng Shui in our old house to
bless our family. He relocated the gate and windows of the old house to alter the view. Soon after
that, I became pregnant. I gave birth to healthy twin boys last year [2016]”. This is an example of
how users who experience the positive effects of pseudoscience make it enticing for others to
partake in the practice. However, there is no scientific evidence that Feng Shui has an effect on
one’s well-being just like the one stated in the example above (Miller Homes, n.d.). There are no
connections between the placement of different items in a house to being blessed with a baby
which further supports the fact that Feng Shui substantially relies on anecdotal evidence rather
than scientific ones. However, it is hard for scientists to disprove Feng Shui since it is harmless
and ultimately results in one’s space being “calm and harmonious” (Miller Homes, n.d.).
For instance, most of the principles of Feng Shui only require an individual to physically
arrange their belongings within a particular direction in order to attract positive energy and good
luck. With this, people continue to believe in Feng Shui with the hopes that a major change will
happen in their lives sooner or later. Feng Shui disregards scientific observation,
experimentation, and scientific validation which makes it not conducive to reliable beliefs about
reality. Furthermore, “claims have never been confirmed in any reputable laboratory test”
(Matthews, 2019). Finally, it is not empirically adequate in a way that there are no differentially
confirming accounts of Feng Shui published in reputable peer-reviewed scientific journals.
(Beanato,2021).
Many are still adamant about the effectiveness of Feng Shui despite being debunked and
labeled as a pseudoscience. This practice has persisted for thousands of years and will most
likely continue to do so because of tradition and culture. However, it is our responsibility to be
vigilant about distinguishing scientific truth from biased beliefs as we move forward.
 References:

Beanato, D. (2021). Feng Shui and the Demarcation Project. Feng Shui and the Demarcation
Project. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-021-00240-z

Der Rhee, H. V., De Vries, E., Coomans, C., Van De Velde, P. V., & Coebergh, J. W. (2016).
Sunlight: For Better or for Worse? A Review of Positive and Negative Effects. Sunlight:
For Better or for Worse? A Review of Positive and Negative Effects of Sun Exposure.
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/0025/ab1c4057fd5be21eeb85c4d9315488a6a4b5.pdf

Hines, T. (2020, November 4). Examining a 3,000-Year-Old Pseudoscience. Skeptical Inquirer.

https://skepticalinquirer.org/2020/11/examining-a-3000-year-old-pseudoscience/

Kathe, V. (2021, April 8). Theory in Architecture: Feng Shui. RTF | Rethinking the Future.
https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/rtf-architectural-reviews/a3324-theory-in-architect
ure-feng-shui/

L. (2019, April 1). FengShui: Science vs Pseudoscience | The Psychology of Extraordinary

Beliefs. https://u.osu.edu/vanzandt/2019/04/01/fengshui-science-vs-pseudoscience/

Miller Homes. (n.d). The Science of Feng Shui.

https://www.millerhomes.co.uk/blog/2020/may/the-science-of-feng-shui.aspx

Psychobabble. (2016, January 29). GoodTherapy.org Therapy Blog.

https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychpedia/psychobabble

Ren, Y., & Woudstra, J. (2022). Between Fengshui and Neighbors: Case Studies of
Participant-Led House-Making in Rural East China. Architecture and Culture, 1–22.
https://doi.org/10.1080/20507828.2022.2110779