Pseudoscience refers to a belief or practice that is presented as a scientific field of study, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, or which lacks supporting evidence or plausibility. In looser terms, a pseudoscience is one that lacks status among the scientific community. Commonly held beliefs in popular science may be termed pseudosciences when they do not meet the criteria of science, or when they include aspects of science fiction. Pseudosciences may exist within any scientific field, including the physical sciences, life sciences, applied sciences, social sciences, or in the paranormal or ufology fields. For the purposes of categorization, junk science and fringe science are included in this category. Junk science is any scientific data, research or analysis considered to be fraudulent or spurious, while fringe science refers to scientific inquiries that depart significantly from mainstream or orthodox theories.
Recommended Resources
AGW 101: Science, Pseudoscience, and Trolls
Opening with a graph showing the differences between science and pseudoscience, the article proceeds to argue that those who disagree with the popular scientific opinions on man-made global climate change are “climate contrarians” practicing pseudoscience.
http://observationdeck.io9.com/agw-101-science-pseudoscience-and-trolls-1440643133
Created by archaeologists who were fed up with the distorted view of the past that passes for knowledge in popular culture, including those found in books written by people who have no real knowledge of archaeology. Topics include the history of archaeology, bad data, conspiracy theories, lost civilizations, extraterrestrials, and dubious methodologies.
http://www.badarchaeology.com/
Utilizing a wiki platform, the site offers information about pseudoscience, including ways in which it flourishes, and offers examples of pseudoscience in astrology, alternative medicine, IQ studies, psychotherapy, intelligent design, and cargo cult science. Comparisons of pseudoscience and the philosophy of science are made.
http://en.citizendium.org/wiki/Pseudoscience
Identifying pseudoscience as a theory or speculation which has the trappings and rhetoric of science, and presented as science, but does not follow the scientific method. Discussed are such issues as falsifiability, disproven science, charlatanism, metaphysics, and public beliefs.
http://conservapedia.com/Pseudoscience
Dr. Caleb Lack’s Science, Pseudoscience, & Critical Thinking
Created as a collaboration between Dr. Lack and his students at the University of Central Oklahoma, the site seeks to show how and why people can be fooled, and to show how those explanations can be applied to pseudoscientific beliefs.
http://pseudoscience.wikispaces.com/
The site offers a definition of pseudoscience, as well as several examples of positions and topics that are suggestive of pseudoscience.
http://everything2.com/title/pseudoscience
Written by Martyn Shuttleworth in 2008, the article defines pseudoscience as a belief that masquerades as a real science while failing to follow the scientific method. Several examples of pseudosciences are given, including sections on fringe science and junk science.
http://explorable.com/pseudoscience/
Is Global Warming a Pseudo Science?
Duncan Davidson’s article, published in 2010, argues that the belief and subsequent policies enacted to combat global warming are the result of pseudoscience, rather than valid scientific positions.
http://wallstreetpit.com/18200-is-global-warming-a-pseudo-science/
Founded by Steve Milloy, Junk Science challenges the scientific validity of scientific beliefs that may be motivated more by politics than by science, including certain environmental beliefs, health scares, and others. News items are posted to the site, along with several articles.
http://junkscience.com/
This site serves as the archive for material formerly published on the Junk Science site, other than daily news and views updates. The Junk Science site challenges the scientific validity of positions taken by the scientific community that may have been too heavily influenced by politics.
http://junksciencearchive.com/
The purpose of the site is to expose scientific rubbish, particularly when it is used to form public opinion, to maintain a status quo, or when the claims are shaped by hidden agendas. Articles on a variety of topics are categorized by subject.
http://www.junkscience.co.uk/
Rational Wiki offers a list of endeavors and concepts that are regarded as pseudoscientific by the scientific community or by mainstream skeptical organizations, including those deemed to be partially pseudoscience.
http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/List_of_pseudosciences
The open source encyclopedia offers an overview of pseudoscience, including its etymology and history, as well as the identification of pseudoscience, demographics, explanations, and the boundaries between science and pseudoscience.
http://pediaview.com/openpedia/Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience on Global Warming
The editorial staff of Biology Cabinet argue that the idea of a global warming caused by human activities is pseudoscience, referencing Al Gore’s movie, “The Day After Tomorrow,” and offering information relating to academic science versus academic pseudoscience.
http://www.biocab.org/Pseudoscience2.html
Science, Pseudoscience, and Irrationalism
Maintained by Steven Dutch, Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin - Green Bay, the site attacks positions that are outside of orthodox scientific beliefs, including conspiracy theories, religion, and the paranormal.
http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/pscindx.htm
Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Science and Pseudoscience
Published in 2008, the article discusses the demarcation between science and pseudoscience, as part of the task of determining which beliefs are warranted, and concludes that there is more philosophical work to be done on the demarcation between the two.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pseudo-science/
