Just going after the title, "folk aphorisms" are such pseudoscience, it's not even funny.
Not that they don't apply, they do. But "many" of the times, not "most", let alone "all of the times".
And you have aphorisms that are exact opposites of each other, like "birds of a feather flock together" and "opposites attract".
The end result? people use them more to support their opinions or gut feelings rather than uttering them after a careful analysis of the situation.
In terms of rigor, they stand at the same level as anecdotal evidence, meaning something that adds practically zero information to an ongoing situation.
Not that they don't apply, they do. But "many" of the times, not "most", let alone "all of the times".
And you have aphorisms that are exact opposites of each other, like "birds of a feather flock together" and "opposites attract".
The end result? people use them more to support their opinions or gut feelings rather than uttering them after a careful analysis of the situation.
In terms of rigor, they stand at the same level as anecdotal evidence, meaning something that adds practically zero information to an ongoing situation.