Science vs. Pseudoscience (Cont). 02/07/2011
Eight warning signs for bogus science
“The Baloney Detection Collection”
Warning Sign #1: One important difference between a scientific
belief and a non-scientific belief is that scientific ideas can be
falsified
oEx: women talk more than men
Can we generate a prediction that could be shown to be
false if our hypothesis is false?
oEx: We can make predictions about people’s personalities
based on their birth date and the position of the stars.
Can the following be falsified?
oEx: Bloodletting cures yellow fever
1793—severe epidemic of yellow fever struck
Dr. Benjamin Rush believed that illnesses accompanied
by fever should be treated by bloodletting
If patient got better— evidence that his theory was
correct
If patient died – evidence that the patient had been too
ill for any treatment to work
oEx: ESP exists
What happens when ESP is tested?
If experiment fails, parapsychology researchers dismiss
the results: too many skeptics nearby, time of day was
wrong, subject was having a bad day, etc.
Additional problem – selective use of data: even one bit
of evidence for ESP is considered strong evidence, but
repeated failures to find evidence are never allowed as
evidence against their theories
Warning Sign #2: The discoverer pitches claim directly to media
oScience works because of peer review process. Before
scientific findings are publicized, they must stand up to
rigorous scrutiny by other scientists. The job of the reviewers?
To find all possible flaws with the work.
oPseudoscience—findings usually bypass peer review and go
directly to the public
oEx: Discovery of “Vitamin O” dietary supplement – appeared
in paid commercials
