pseudoscience
Sign in to savethumb|upright=1.35|A typical 19th-century phrenology chart: during the 1820s, phrenologists claimed the mind was located in areas of the brain, and were attacked for doubting that mind came from the nonmaterial soul. Their idea of reading "bumps" in the skull to predict personality traits was later discredited. Phrenology was first termed a pseudoscience in 1843 and continues to be considered so.
AI overview
Pseudoscience refers to ideas or practices that claim to be scientific but lack the rigorous evidence and methods of genuine science, such as phrenology's discredited claim that skull bumps could predict personality traits. It matters because pseudoscientific claims can mislead people into accepting false beliefs, as happened when phrenology was widely accepted before being proven wrong.
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Article
34 sectionsContents
- Etymology
- Relationship to science
- Scientific method
- Falsifiability
- Mertonian norms
- Refusal to acknowledge problems
- Criticism of the term
- Alternative definition
- History
- Indicators of possible pseudoscience
- Use of vague, exaggerated or untestable claims
- Improper collection of evidence
- Lack of openness to testing by other experts
- Absence of progress
- Personalization of issues
- Use of misleading language
- Prevalence of pseudoscientific beliefs
- Countries
- Racism
- Explanations
- Psychology
- Education and scientific literacy
- Boundaries with science
- Classification
- Philosophy
- Politics, health, and education
- Political implications
- Health and education implications
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Bibliography
- Works cited
- Further reading
thumb|upright=1.35|A typical 19th-century phrenology chart: during the 1820s, phrenologists claimed the mind was located in areas of the brain, and were attacked for doubting that mind came from the nonmaterial soul. Their idea of reading "bumps" in the skull to predict personality traits was later discredited. Phrenology was first termed a pseudoscience in 1843 and continues to be considered so.
Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be scientific or factual but are inherently incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claims; reliance on confirmation bias rather than rigorous attempts at refutation; lack of openness to evaluation by other experts; absence of systematic practices when developing hypotheses; and continued adherence long after the pseudoscientific hypotheses have been experimentally discredited. It is not the same as junk science.