Sporalogy
Encyclopedia
Sporalogy is a jocular pseudoscience
invented by Finnish
physics
and astronomy
professor Nils Mustelin
in the 1980s as a parody
of astrology
. Its name comes from the Helsinki slang
expression for tram
, "spora" (from , tram). (Finland has two official languages, Finnish and Swedish.)
Sporalogy is the "art" or "science" of predicting a person's future on the basis of the positions of trams at the moment of the person's birth. This is a parody of astrology's claim of being able to do the same using the positions of the planet
s and the constellation
s. Mustelin points out that as trams or buses are so much nearer the person in question their gravitational pull has a much greater effect than do distant planets and stars.
Since this parody was meant to help the Finnish public use common sense to understand the logic behind the claims of astrology, this pseudoscience was based on tram traffic in the Finnish capital of Helsinki
. It is now up to "respected sporalogists" to decide whether Helsinki trams should be used to predict the future of people everywhere in the world or whether the trams or buses of the closest major city should be used.
Sporalogy doesn't have many rules, and they are at most guidelines. For example, green-and-yellow trams signify peaceful, artistic aspects. In contrast, red-and-grey trams (which were in use in Helsinki in the 1980s but have since been repainted similar to the others) signify harder, more technological aspects. The trams number 4 (Katajanokka
- Munkkiniemi
) and 10 (Kirurgi - Huopalahti
) signify problems and success in school
, respectively. (The grades 4 and 10 being the lowest and highest given in Finnish schools). The tram number 6 is related to love, since Swedish for the number six is sex.
Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
invented by Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and astronomy
Astronomy
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...
professor Nils Mustelin
Nils Mustelin
Nils Mustelin was a Finnish professor of physics, noted astronomer, and popular sceptic.Mustelin was born in Turku, where he also spent his school years and studies. He matriculated in 1949 and studied physics at Åbo Akademi, graduating as a Ph.D. in 1963...
in the 1980s as a parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
. Its name comes from the Helsinki slang
Helsinki slang
Helsinki slang or stadin slangi is a local dialect and a sociolect of the Finnish language mainly used in the capital Helsinki...
expression for tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
, "spora" (from , tram). (Finland has two official languages, Finnish and Swedish.)
Sporalogy is the "art" or "science" of predicting a person's future on the basis of the positions of trams at the moment of the person's birth. This is a parody of astrology's claim of being able to do the same using the positions of the planet
Planet
A planet is a celestial body orbiting a star or stellar remnant that is massive enough to be rounded by its own gravity, is not massive enough to cause thermonuclear fusion, and has cleared its neighbouring region of planetesimals.The term planet is ancient, with ties to history, science,...
s and the constellation
Constellation
In modern astronomy, a constellation is an internationally defined area of the celestial sphere. These areas are grouped around asterisms, patterns formed by prominent stars within apparent proximity to one another on Earth's night sky....
s. Mustelin points out that as trams or buses are so much nearer the person in question their gravitational pull has a much greater effect than do distant planets and stars.
Since this parody was meant to help the Finnish public use common sense to understand the logic behind the claims of astrology, this pseudoscience was based on tram traffic in the Finnish capital of Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. It is now up to "respected sporalogists" to decide whether Helsinki trams should be used to predict the future of people everywhere in the world or whether the trams or buses of the closest major city should be used.
Sporalogy doesn't have many rules, and they are at most guidelines. For example, green-and-yellow trams signify peaceful, artistic aspects. In contrast, red-and-grey trams (which were in use in Helsinki in the 1980s but have since been repainted similar to the others) signify harder, more technological aspects. The trams number 4 (Katajanokka
Katajanokka
Katajanokka is a neighbourhood of Helsinki, Finland, with around 4000 inhabitants in 2005. The district is located adjacent to the immediate downtown area, though in the first major town plan for Helsinki from the mid-18th century, the area fell outside the fortifications planned to encircle the...
- Munkkiniemi
Munkkiniemi
Munkkiniemi is a neighbourhood in Helsinki. Subdivisions within the district are Vanha Munkkiniemi, Kuusisaari, Lehtisaari, Munkkivuori, Niemenmäki and Talinranta.The land in Munkkiniemi was from the 17th century a part of Munksnäs manor...
) and 10 (Kirurgi - Huopalahti
Huopalahti
Huopalahti was a municipality during the years 1920–1945 in Uusimaa, Finland. The municipality was bilingual.Current areas of Munkkiniemi, Lauttasaari and parts of northern Pasila were parts of Huopalahti....
) signify problems and success in school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
, respectively. (The grades 4 and 10 being the lowest and highest given in Finnish schools). The tram number 6 is related to love, since Swedish for the number six is sex.