Numerology as science

 At it's core, Numerology is a belief system or practice that assigns mystical or esoteric significance to numbers. It is based on the idea that numbers have inherent qualities and vibrations that can influence events, personality traits, and even predict the future.

Numerology encompasses a variety of claims, each based on the idea that numbers possess mystical or cosmic significance. Different systems of numerology exist, but here are some common claims associated with this pseudoscience:

1) Life Path Number: One of the central concepts in numerology is the "life path number," calculated using an individual's birthdate. Proponents claim that this number reveals insights into a person's character, personality traits, and life purpose. The life path number is often interpreted as a guide to understanding the challenges and opportunities that may arise throughout one's life.

2) Expression Number: Similar to the life path number, the expression number is derived from the numerical value assigned to the letters in a person's name. Numerologists assert that this number reflects an individual's inherent talents, strengths, and potential achievements. The interpretation often involves analyzing the vibrational energies associated with each letter in the alphabet.

3) Destiny Number: Some numerology systems include a "destiny number," which is calculated using the full birth name. This number is thought to reveal a person's life purpose and the path they are destined to follow. It is believed to provide insights into one's calling or mission in life.

It's essential to emphasize that these claims lack empirical support and are based on subjective interpretations. The associations between numbers and personality traits or life events are often arbitrary and lack a scientific basis. However, some people still heavily believe that Numerology is a proven science and tend to see life through the lens of order, numbers, and meteorological readings such as: Life Path Number, which is believed to make you gain clarity about your strengths, weaknesses and opportunities, Personality Number, is a number that provides insight into the way others perceive you.  (El, 2023).

Evidence supporting numerology as a valid science:

"It may well be that if Newton had not been able to satisfy his curiosity in biblical Numerology he would also never have succeeded in making the discoveries that the world would come to value. " (Smith, J. E. , 2022)

As Smith was able to explain, Newton's discoveries were considered irrefutable by their association with biblical numerology that were able to prove his discoveries and many other discoveries that relied on that. If Newton's discoveries can be classified as science, then we would have to consider numerology which was able to prove Newton's science, as science. 

"The fact that a beautifully simple relation exists between small whole numbers and musical sounds astonished and mystified the Pythagorean, as well it might have done." (Jastrow, J. 1933)

This is talking about when Numerology is believed to be born, and it was the hour Pythagoras had discovered the law of musical intervals, that then spiraled him into digging deeper and learning about the universal numerology, and how numbers are associated with everything we see, deduce, and conclude.

Do you think that there are recognized interdisciplinary studies that validate or challenge numerological principles? 

Although many people believe that Numerology can be thought to be a science due to its unnatural methods of predicting one's destiny, future, and personality, there is no evidence to back any of those claims. Studies have been conducted that have and have consistently failed to find any correlation between both numerology and the factors mentioned above. Many respected scientists believe that numerology is nothing more than a form of accepting self-told truths and a form of wishful thinking.

Evidence supporting numerology as pseudoscience:

"It must then be concluded that Numerology is a pseudoscience unless the field is accompanied by a body of evidence stating that a standardized method of Gematria does have some real-world correspondence with human personalities, or enough relations between physical constants exist that it would be unscientific, that is, highly improbable, to ascribe their existence to anything but cosmic mysticism. "(Puccio, J.)

Based on this research we are able to conclude that Numerology is a pseudoscience for the following reasons:

Unsubstantiated Claims:

Numerology is built on the argument that numbers of birthdays, names, countries, are corresponding to one's personality, destine and life. However, this paper argues that anything that can not be either proven or disprove is a hallmark of pseudoscience, since Numerology is based on personal belief, and there is no claim to link both personal life of a person with numbers. Numerology is nothing more than a pseudoscience.

Arbitrary Methods:

The paper mentions the use of Gematria which is a process known for assigning numerical values to words or character, often used in numerology. However, Gematria lacks something very important which allows numerologist through simple arithmetic manipulation, these methods are arbitrary and undermine the scientific explanation for them to be valid.

Selective Attention:

The paper discusses how numerology exploits natural human tendencies and normally aligns answers to postie readings one is more likely to accept, whether it be about self-image, self-love, or a generalized goal. Numerologists take advantage of human attention seeking nature and exploit it giving them answers that they want to hear. 

Lack of Standardization and Contradictions:

Standarization is very important as it leads to a basic, or a method on how numerology could work, this paper tackles that point by mentioning that there is no specific method to numerology. The methods used are inconsistent, and without practices. It then becomes very difficult to attempt to replicate such result, and everyone person does it with their own twist. 

Contradictions occur when the example of physicist Paul Dirac's numerological speculation mentions that even scientists with degrees and who are respected can make claims without a scientific basis, however it eventually has to lead to a plausible explaining, lacking evidence no longer makes it a scientific claim, but rather a pseudoscience.

Here's a thought-provoking question for you:

How often do numerological predictions fail, and how are these failures explained within the framework of numerology? 

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