Pseudoscience is defined by Wikipedia as:
"a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific but does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status."
Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary defines pseudoscience as:
"a system of theories, assumptions, and methods erroneously regarded as scientific"
I choose to give two different definitions because pseudoscience is a very debated topic with a lot of controversy and bias. I am making the assumption that with Wikipedia, conflicting opinions of editors will create a definition that allows the editors to meet in the middle. Merriam-Webster is a very reliable dictionary so I am assuming that their definition is unbiased as well.
A few examples of different types of pseudoscience or partial pseudoscience include: astrology, creation science, crop circles, paranormal activity studies, Ufology, aromatherapy, colonic hydrotherapy, homeopathy, magnetic therapy, and chiropractic manipulation to name a few.
Personally, of these listed I have experienced chiropractic manipulation and it helped with back pain caused by an injury. I am aware there are believed to be dangerous side effects associated with chiropractic manipulation even though I have not experienced them myself. Before you try chiropractic manipulation it is important to discuss it with your doctor to become informed of the potential risks and rewards of a chiropractic treatment.
Many of the other types of pseudoscience or partial pseudoscience I have no personal experience with so I cannot give a fair personal opinion. I do however, believe that there are some things that science has not explored and that the scientific method cannot explain. More research should be conducted on the different types of pseudosciences or partial pseudosciences in order to provide a fair assessment.
Pseudoscience is a very debatable topic that tends to get quite heated as people often have strong opinions.
I would like to open up the comment area to debate about pseudoscience. Do you have an experience relating to pseudoscience?
Interesting post Holly. When I think of pseudoscience what comes to mind is the types of advertising used for "energy" drinks like Red Bull, Monster and 5 Hour Energy. These companies are essentially peddling sugar/caffeine shots as something people should take daily, whenever they feel tired, as if the products are nutritional in any way whatsoever. Like many students I drink a bit too much coffee, but coffee is at least *slightly* more natural than sucrose, aspartame, and red dye no.27.
ReplyDeleteGood point John, I never thought of the marketing of energy drinks as being a pseudoscience before but it makes sense.
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