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

From Wiktionary under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Thu Jan 21 18:19:23 2010

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".

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.

From Wikipedia under the GNU Free Documentation License
Sun Jan 31 08:36:23 2010

When dealing with astology as a pseudoscience do proponents use conspiracy to support their position?
Q. Do proponents use conspiracy or paranoia to support their positions about astrology? I have to write a report on astrology as a pseudoscience, and need some information that I can not find and I do not know.
Asked by Briana - Fri Sep 19 11:58:28 2008 - - 1 Answers - 0 Comments

A. they don't need conspiracy... they have history ... and all the uses of astrology down thru the ages since the Sumerians..the Egyptians..the Chinese, etc...
Answered by meanolmaw - Fri Sep 19 13:41:38 2008

Why do people do research on pseudoscience?
Q. They know it can never be proven with the scientific method and they will always doubt themselves, so why are people still intrugied with this and even try to make it look like fact. emotional manipulation is a skill to use in relationships, not to be disguised as science.
Asked by 5drtyu - Sun Jul 19 00:16:39 2009 - - 5 Answers - 0 Comments

A. cause their stupid, they need to feel smart, so they make up a science
Answered by diff6ernt - Sun Jul 19 00:20:47 2009

Why is superstition considered a pseudoscience?
Q. Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge, methodology, belief, or practice that is claimed to be scientific or made to appear scientific, but does not adhere to the scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, or otherwise lacks scientific status. Is superstition claimed to be scientific in the first place?
Asked by .curious. - Thu May 8 04:42:07 2008 - - 2 Answers - 0 Comments

A. Pseudos is an ancient Greek word meaning false. Superstition is sometimes made into a pseudoscience. For example, people who run around with advanced-looking scientific equipment looking for ghosts. The experiments and results are interpreted on a whim, rather than with any sound scientific basis, so it is false science, or superstition dressed up to mimic science. Correct science requires experimentation with interpretable results which can be verified by reproducing the experiment. Pseudoscience never provides this.
Answered by Thalia - Thu May 8 07:27:24 2008

From Yahoo Answer Search: "pseudoscience"
Sat Feb 6 04:20:06 2010

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.

This theme article is a stub. You can help Wikiquote by expanding it.

Sourced

Examples of pseudo-scientific quotes

  • 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.

External links

Wikipedia has an article about: Pseudoscience Category:

From Wikiquote under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Thu Dec 17 07:08:15 2009

Education reforms need democratic values, not pseudo-science - Vancouver Sun
news.google.com
Education reforms need democratic values, not pseudo-science

Vancouver Sun

'So another poorly thought out "reform" has been implemented, this time associated with fatal ...



and more »
The 2012 myth: crossing the galactic plane - Examiner.com
news.google.com
The 2012 myth: crossing the galactic plane

Examiner.com

As discussed with respect to the Mayan calendar myth, there is some science embedded in this, but a little critical thinking exposes the pseudoscience of ...
Theater and film - The Riverdale Press
news.google.com
Theater and film

The Riverdale Press

These questions and many more will be answered by Bad Astronomer Phil Plait, as he tackles pseudoscience while exploring popular misconceptions about ...



and more »

From Google News Search: "pseudoscience"
Sun Jan 10 22:06:52 2010

And an M A in Pseudoscience by BlackLillian png
fc47.deviantart.com
And an M A in Pseudoscience by BlackLillian png
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Alien jpg
brunswick.k12.me.us
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Pseudoscience

properplanning jpg
semioticcohesion.com
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Abortion This is what remains of a poster stuck to a streetpole outside a friend s house in a relatively wealthy area The street connects the University of Cape Town to it s nearest railway station

From Yahoo Image Search: "pseudoscience"
Tue Jan 19 01:24:44 2010

The Extended Penotype: One of the Dangers of Pseudoscience
arumanchan.blogspot.com
The Extended Penotype: One of the Dangers of Pseudoscience

Aruman_Chan

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 01:18:00 GM

One of the Dangers of . Pseudoscience. . Are there any consequences for believing in things with which there is no evidence for? YES! Dowsing rods do not work and there are consequences for believing that they do. ...

Edmund R. Malinowski: Pseudoscience responsible for global warming ...
gogreentoolshed.com
Edmund R. Malinowski: Pseudoscience responsible for global warming ...

unknown

hu, 28 Jan 2010 20:00:08 GM

What we need to fear is not man-made climate change but man-made . pseudoscience. amalgamated with political action groups. Malinowski, a PhD from Stuart, is emeritus professor of chemistry at the Stevens Institute of Technology. ...

democratic views: Pseudo-Science : The Anti-Vaccine Epidemic
democraticviews.org
democratic views: Pseudo-Science : The Anti-Vaccine Epidemic

Jon Welsh

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 02:29:08 GM

In 2000, measles was eradicated in the United States. No more measles, due to successful vaccination programs. In 2008 measles returned with the largest number of cases since 2000. This trend in the US rising numbers of measles cases.

From Google Blog Search: "pseudoscience"
Thu Feb 4 17:28:46 2010

See also:

  • Space TechnologySpace Technology
    dielectric.thq.googlepages.com
    Provides a number of articles on subjects ranging from antimatter through wormholes to quantum tunneling.
  • KroniaKronia
    kronia.com
    A fundamental paradigm shift. Interdisciplinary investigations.
  • The Science of SuperstitionsThe Science of Superstitions
    samvak.tripod.com
    Dr. Sam Vaknin considers how big is the difference between superstition and science, the normal and the paranormal.
Custom search only pseudoscience sites:

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Sat Jan 9 05:51:43 2010