Noun

Singular pseudoscience

Plural pseudosciences

pseudoscience (plural pseudosciences)

1. Any body of knowledge purported to be scientific or supported by science but which fails to comply with the scientific method.

Derived terms

• pseudoscientific
• pseudoscientifically

• pseudoscientist

Pseudoscience is a methodology, belief, or practice that is claimed to be scientific, or that is made to appear to be scientific, but which does not adhere to an appropriate scientific methodology, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, or otherwise lacks scientific status. The term comes from the Greek prefix pseudo- (false or pretending) and "science" (from Latin scientia, meaning "knowledge"). An early recorded use was in 1843 by French physiologist François Magendie, who is considered a pioneer in experimental physiology.

The term is inherently pejorative, because it is used to assert that something is being inaccurately or deceptively portrayed as science. Accordingly, those labeled as practicing or advocating a "pseudoscience" normally dispute this characterization. There is disagreement among philosophers of science and among commentators in the scientific community about whether there is a reliable objective way to distinguish "pseudoscience" from non-mainstream "science".

The scientific consensus, as expressed by the National Science Foundation, has identified and described ten subjects, and they consider belief in those subjects to be pseudoscientific beliefs: extrasensory perception (ESP), that houses can be haunted, ghosts, telepathy, clairvoyance, astrology, that people can communicate mentally with someone who has died, witches, reincarnation, and channeling.

Professor Paul DeHart Hurd argued that a large part of gaining scientific literacy is "being able to distinguish science from pseudo-science such as astrology, quackery, the occult, and superstition". As it is taught in certain introductory science classes, pseudoscience is any subject that appears superficially to be scientific, or whose proponents state that it is scientific, but which nevertheless contravenes the testability requirement or substantially deviates from other fundamental aspects of the scientific method.

Pseudoscience has been characterised by the use of vague, exaggerated or untestable claims, over-reliance on confirmation rather than refutation, lack of openness to testing by other experts, and a lack of progress in theory development.

Pseudoscience is any alleged body of knowledge, methodology, belief, or practice claiming to be scientific or made to appear scientific, but not adhering to the scientific method.

Sourced

Examples of pseudo-scientific quotes

• If a person replaces most of the water in his body with Koranic water, his body begins to emit steam which contains the Koran. This creates a halo of steam around him, containing the Koran, which fends off Satan.
  • Sharif Shukran in the United Arab Emirates who claimed to be an inventor, The "Science" behind Healing with Koranic Holy Water. MEMRI (December 3, 2007).
  • . The "Science" behind Healing with Koranic Holy Water

• Interviewer: You say that Darwin is responsible for global terrorism.
• Adnan Oktar: Yes, Darwin says that life is the struggle between the strong and the weak....The idea is reflected in Social Darwinism, which believes that whoever is more powerful militarily, politically, and in terms of technology will be superior to the weak and the oppressed, and will rule and annihilate them. This idea dominated the ideology of Hitler and Mussolini.
  • Turkish Thinker Adnan Oktar Tells about His Struggle against the Freemasons. MEMRI (September 28, 2007).

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