Pseudoscience

1. Pseudoscience

2. 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)

3. Astrology • 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?

4. Psychic mediums • 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?

5. Alternative medicine • 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?

6. 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