Transcript Pseudo Science - MrSimonPorter

Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience
an activity resembling science but based on
fallacious assumptions wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
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. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoscience
• Cannot be falsified.
• Has not been proved by experimental testing.
• If claims were more specific they could be tested and
falsifiable, therefore scientific.
• Any data can be changed to fit a theory (ghosts only
appear when they want to)
Astrology
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What knowledge claims are made?
In what ways are they scientific?
In what ways are they not?
What evidence is there of astrology’s efficacy?
How much evidence would be ‘enough’, i.e. if
we are to ‘know’ about the world from
astrology?
Psychic
mediums
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What knowledge claims are made?
In what ways are they scientific?
In what ways are they not?
What evidence is there of the paranormal’s
efficacy?
• How much evidence would be ‘enough’, i.e. if we
are to ‘know’ about the world from astrology?
Alternative
medicine
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What knowledge claims are made?
In what ways are they scientific?
In what ways are they not?
What evidence is there of alternative medicine’s
efficacy?
• How much evidence would be ‘enough’, i.e. if we
are to ‘know’ about the world from alternative
medicine?
Science > pseudoscience when…
• Experimental testing can be repeated with the
same results, again and again.
• All known data can be explained.
• It must do so under a variety of conditions.
• Be consistent with inductive logic
• Must be falsifiable (at least in principle).
• And, btw, Dawkins says,
you can still have awe and wonder