Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience is the term applied to statements, beliefs or practices that are claimed to be factually-based but which are not supported by scientific evidence. The whole field is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claims, or a lack of openness to scientific evaluation or rigorous attempts at refutation. The great American physicist Richard Feynman referred to it as ‘cargo-cult science’, noting that scientific terms are often used, and practitioners may even perform research, but their thinking and conclusions are nonetheless fundamentally scientifically flawed. [1]
You will find below over 40 'disciplines' that fall under the banner of 'psuedoscience', around half of them relate to medicine and health, and this is of particular concern given the possible consequences (see box). Some techniques may 'work' in the sense that people appear to take benefit from them, but this may be due to the placebo effect.
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1 Debunking Denialism
Debunking Denialism
is one of the best websites
dedicated to the refutation of pseudoscience and denialism.
Since its inception in 2010, Debunking Denialism
has tackled a wide range of topics including creationism, HIV/AIDS denialism, anti-psychiatry, crank claims about physics, vaccine rejectionism, alleged psychics, opposition to genetically modified crops, climate change denialism, misuses of statistics and many others besides.
The website has a superb library
containing hundreds of articles refuting different beliefs and practices, arranged by category and date.
2 DC's Improbable Science
David Colquhoun, Professor of Pharmacology at University College London, has been covering cases of fake health news on his blog since 2003, including examples of instances where misinformation has led to people dying.
“Quackery is rampant in areas where conventional medicine can’t do as much as people would wish," he says. "It’s partly the fault of regular doctors. It’s led people to think there’s a cure for anything, which they’re not.” Some go further and claim that mainstream news sources are often to blame for spreading exaggerated claims about medical breakthroughs and wonder drugs which often don’t live up to the hype.
Fake Health News
Health officials have warned that the widespread circulation of incorrect health information on social networks is potentially dangerous. This is especially worrying when it turns out that misinformation about serious health conditions is often shared more widely than reports from reputable news organisations that are evidence-based. An article
(published in Jan 2017) claimed that “Of the 20 most-shared articles on Facebook in 2016 with the word ‘cancer’ in the headline, more than half report claims discredited by doctors and health authorities,” and that “of the top five news articles with ‘HPV’, short for human papilloma virus, in the headline, the three with the most shares, likes and engagements last year have been declared ‘false’ by fact-checking website snopes.com.
3 From Acupuncture to Urine Therapy
• Acupuncture & Acupressure
— the use of fine needles or manual non-invasive methods to stimulate acupuncture points and balance the flow of qi in the body (qi is the circulating ‘life force’, from the Mandarin qì, literally ‘air, breath’).
• Ancient Astronauts — a concept based on the belief that intelligent extra-terrestrial beings visited Earth and made contact with humans in antiquity and prehistoric times.
• Anthroposophical Medicine — a form of alternative medicine devised in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner and based on his occult notions and spiritual philosophy. Practitioners employ a variety of treatment techniques including massage, exercise, counselling and substances (many of which are ultra-diluted, similar to those used in homeopathy).
• Ancient Astronauts — a concept based on the belief that intelligent extra-terrestrial beings visited Earth and made contact with humans in antiquity and prehistoric times.
• Anthroposophical Medicine — a form of alternative medicine devised in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner and based on his occult notions and spiritual philosophy. Practitioners employ a variety of treatment techniques including massage, exercise, counselling and substances (many of which are ultra-diluted, similar to those used in homeopathy).
• Applied Kinesiology
— a technique in alternative medicine claimed to be able to diagnose illness or choose treatment by testing muscles for strength and weakness.
• Astrology — holds that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena (including the relative positions and movement of real and construed celestial bodies) and real-world events or descriptions of personality.
• Autism-Vaccination Link — the belief that vaccines are accused of trigger or aggravate autism-spectrum disorders.
• Baraminology — a taxonomic system that classifies animals into groups called ‘created kinds’ or ‘baramins’ according to the account of creation in Genesis and other parts of the Bible.
• Biodynamic Agriculture — method of organic farming that treats farms as unified and individual organisms and a calendar which has been characterized as astrological.
• Biorhythms — an attempt to predict various aspects of a person's life through simple mathematical cycles.
• Channeling — communication of information to or through a person allegedly from a spirit or other paranormal entity.
• Astrology — holds that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena (including the relative positions and movement of real and construed celestial bodies) and real-world events or descriptions of personality.
• Autism-Vaccination Link — the belief that vaccines are accused of trigger or aggravate autism-spectrum disorders.
• Baraminology — a taxonomic system that classifies animals into groups called ‘created kinds’ or ‘baramins’ according to the account of creation in Genesis and other parts of the Bible.
• Biodynamic Agriculture — method of organic farming that treats farms as unified and individual organisms and a calendar which has been characterized as astrological.
• Biorhythms — an attempt to predict various aspects of a person's life through simple mathematical cycles.
• Channeling — communication of information to or through a person allegedly from a spirit or other paranormal entity.
• Creation Science
— the belief that the origin of everything in the universe is the result of a first cause, brought about by a creator deity, and that this thesis is supported by geological, biological, and other scientific evidence (the photo is inside The Arc Encounter
[2]).
• Creationist Cosmologies — explanations of the origins and form of the universe in terms of the Biblical Genesis wherein God created the cosmos in six days.
• Creationist Cosmologies — explanations of the origins and form of the universe in terms of the Biblical Genesis wherein God created the cosmos in six days.
• Crop Circles
— geometric designs of
crushed or knocked-over crops created in a field. Aside from skilled
farmers or pranksters working through the night, explanations for their
formation include UFOs and anomalous, tornado-like air currents. The
study of crop circles has become known as ‘cerealogy’.
• Cryptozoology — search for creatures that are considered not to exist by most biologists. Best-known examples: Bigfoot, the Yeti, and the Loch Ness Monster.
• Crystal Healing — belief that crystals have healing properties.
• Cupping therapy — an ancient Chinese form of alternative medicine in which a local suction is created on the skin which is believed to mobilize blood flow and promote healing.
• Dowsing — practices said to enable one to detect hidden water, metals, gemstones or other objects.
• Extra-Sensory Perception — paranormal ability (independent of the five main senses or deduction from previous experience) to acquire information; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psychic abilities and remote viewing.
• Dianetics — a therapeutic technique promoted by Scientology, which purports to treat a hypothetical reactive mind.
• Detoxification — a procedure that claims to rid the body of ‘toxins’ (accumulated substances that allegedly exert undesirable effects on individual health).
• Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity — reported sensitivity to electric and magnetic fields at exposure levels well below established safety standards.
• Faith Healing — act of curing disease by such means as prayer and the laying on of hands.
• Cryptozoology — search for creatures that are considered not to exist by most biologists. Best-known examples: Bigfoot, the Yeti, and the Loch Ness Monster.
• Crystal Healing — belief that crystals have healing properties.
• Cupping therapy — an ancient Chinese form of alternative medicine in which a local suction is created on the skin which is believed to mobilize blood flow and promote healing.
• Dowsing — practices said to enable one to detect hidden water, metals, gemstones or other objects.
• Extra-Sensory Perception — paranormal ability (independent of the five main senses or deduction from previous experience) to acquire information; includes telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, psychic abilities and remote viewing.
• Dianetics — a therapeutic technique promoted by Scientology, which purports to treat a hypothetical reactive mind.
• Detoxification — a procedure that claims to rid the body of ‘toxins’ (accumulated substances that allegedly exert undesirable effects on individual health).
• Electromagnetic Hypersensitivity — reported sensitivity to electric and magnetic fields at exposure levels well below established safety standards.
• Faith Healing — act of curing disease by such means as prayer and the laying on of hands.
• Feng Shui
— ancient Chinese system of mysticism and aesthetics based on astronomy, geography, and the putative flow of qi; principles applied in architectural design.
• Graphology — psychological test based on a belief that personality traits unconsciously and consistently influence handwriting morphology.
• Healing jewellery — paraphernalia such as ionized bracelets, hologram bracelets and magnetic jewellery that is purported to improve the health, heal or improve the qi of the wearer.
• Graphology — psychological test based on a belief that personality traits unconsciously and consistently influence handwriting morphology.
• Healing jewellery — paraphernalia such as ionized bracelets, hologram bracelets and magnetic jewellery that is purported to improve the health, heal or improve the qi of the wearer.
• Homeopathy
— the belief that giving a patient with symptoms of an illness extremely dilute remedies that are thought to produce the same symptoms in healthy people; preparations are often diluted beyond the point where any treatment molecule is likely to remain.
• Intelligent Design — the belief that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. (The leading proponents of ID are associated with the Discovery Institute, a politically conservative think tank based in the United States.)
• Iridology — a means of medical diagnosis which proponents believe can identify and diagnose health problems through close examination of the markings and patterns of the iris.
• Koranic Scientific Foreknowledge — the assertion that foundational Islamic religious texts made accurate statements about the world that science verified hundreds of years later.
• Levitation — the act of rising up from the ground without any physical aids, usually by the power of thought.
• Ley Lines — proposed intentional alignment of ancient monuments and landscape features.
• Magnet Therapy — practice of using magnetic fields to positively influence health (operating at relatively low field strengths).
• Memetics — an approach to evolutionary models of cultural information transfer based on the concept that units of information, or ‘memes’, have an independent existence, are self-replicating, and are subject to selective evolution through environmental forces. (The concept of a meme was originally proposed by Richard Dawkins.)
• Naturopathy — a type of alternative medicine based on a belief in vitalism, which posits that a special energy called vital energy or vital force guides bodily processes such as metabolism, reproduction, growth and adaptation.
• Intelligent Design — the belief that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection. (The leading proponents of ID are associated with the Discovery Institute, a politically conservative think tank based in the United States.)
• Iridology — a means of medical diagnosis which proponents believe can identify and diagnose health problems through close examination of the markings and patterns of the iris.
• Koranic Scientific Foreknowledge — the assertion that foundational Islamic religious texts made accurate statements about the world that science verified hundreds of years later.
• Levitation — the act of rising up from the ground without any physical aids, usually by the power of thought.
• Ley Lines — proposed intentional alignment of ancient monuments and landscape features.
• Magnet Therapy — practice of using magnetic fields to positively influence health (operating at relatively low field strengths).
• Memetics — an approach to evolutionary models of cultural information transfer based on the concept that units of information, or ‘memes’, have an independent existence, are self-replicating, and are subject to selective evolution through environmental forces. (The concept of a meme was originally proposed by Richard Dawkins.)
• Naturopathy — a type of alternative medicine based on a belief in vitalism, which posits that a special energy called vital energy or vital force guides bodily processes such as metabolism, reproduction, growth and adaptation.
• Phrenology
— now defunct system for determining personality traits by feeling bumps on the skull (proposed by 18th century physiologist Franz Joseph Gall).
• Palmistry — the belief that the future can be foretold through palm reading. Predictions are based on the shape, line and mounts of the hands.
• Parapsychology — controversial discipline that seeks to investigate the existence and causes of psychic abilities and life after death using the scientific method.
• Palmistry — the belief that the future can be foretold through palm reading. Predictions are based on the shape, line and mounts of the hands.
• Parapsychology — controversial discipline that seeks to investigate the existence and causes of psychic abilities and life after death using the scientific method.
• Psychokinesis
— paranormal ability of the mind to influence matter or energy at a distance.
• Quantum Mysticism — builds on a superficial similarity between certain New Age concepts and such seemingly counter-intuitive quantum mechanical concepts as the uncertainty principle, entanglement, and wave-particle duality (while generally ignoring the limitations imposed by quantum decoherence).
• Quantum Mysticism — builds on a superficial similarity between certain New Age concepts and such seemingly counter-intuitive quantum mechanical concepts as the uncertainty principle, entanglement, and wave-particle duality (while generally ignoring the limitations imposed by quantum decoherence).
• Rumpology
— examining crevices, dimples, warts, moles and folds of a person's buttocks in much the same way a chirologist would read the palm of the hand.
• Radionics — a means of medical diagnosis / therapy which proponents believe can diagnose and remedy health problems using various frequencies in a putative energy field coupled to the practitioner's electronic device.
• Radionics — a means of medical diagnosis / therapy which proponents believe can diagnose and remedy health problems using various frequencies in a putative energy field coupled to the practitioner's electronic device.
• Reiki
— a form of alternative medicine developed in 1920s in which ‘universal energy’ is allegedly transferred through the palms of the practitioner to the patient in order to encourage emotional or physical healing.
• Reflexology — an alternative medicine involving the physical act of applying pressure to the feet, hands, or ears with specific thumb, finger and hand techniques without the use of oil or lotion.
• Ufology — the study of UFOs (unidentified flying objects) that sometimes includes the belief that UFOs are evidence of extra-terrestrial visitors.
• Urine Therapy — drinking either one's own undiluted urine or homeopathic potions of urine for treatment of a wide variety of diseases.
• Reflexology — an alternative medicine involving the physical act of applying pressure to the feet, hands, or ears with specific thumb, finger and hand techniques without the use of oil or lotion.
• Ufology — the study of UFOs (unidentified flying objects) that sometimes includes the belief that UFOs are evidence of extra-terrestrial visitors.
• Urine Therapy — drinking either one's own undiluted urine or homeopathic potions of urine for treatment of a wide variety of diseases.
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Notes
1 The information in this section is extracted from Wikipedia. It is undeniable that some of these practices may work with some people, but this is often put down to the placebo effect. For an explanation of the difference between science and pseudoscience, you may like to listen to a short video
on Sir Karl Popper's 'Science as Falsification.'
2 Ark Encounter is a Christian evangelical and fundamentalist theme park that opened in Grant County, Kentucky in July 2016. The centerpiece of the park is a full-scale model of Noah's Ark as described in the Genesis flood narrative of the Bible.
2 Ark Encounter is a Christian evangelical and fundamentalist theme park that opened in Grant County, Kentucky in July 2016. The centerpiece of the park is a full-scale model of Noah's Ark as described in the Genesis flood narrative of the Bible.
