Distinguishing Science from Pseudoscience

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Distinguishing Science from Pseudoscience
Chapter 15

• In this tutorial you will learn to distinguish
  genuine scientific thinking from pseudoscientific
  thinking.

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• Pseudoscience is false science--that is,
  unscientific thinking masquerading as scientific
  thinking. It is thinking that poses as scientific
  but is, in fact, faithless to science's
  fundamental methods and values.

• Genuine science
• makes claims that are testable
• makes claims that are consistent with
  well-established scientific facts
• confronts falsifying data openly and honestly,
  rather than ignoring it or explaining it away

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• avoids vague language
• is progressive
• is committed to an active, ongoing program of
  research

Based on what you've learned in Chapter 15,
explain why the following passages are not
examples of scientific thinking.
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I called a psychic hotline last week, and I was
really amazed! The psychic told me I had money
troubles, and that's true I do have a lot of
credit card debt. She also told me that I'm
dissatisfied with my love life and that's also
true my boyfriend and I recently broke up. I
guess there really is something to psychic
hotlines!
In what ways does this passage reflect
pseudoscientific thinking?
5
I called a psychic hotline last week, and I was
really amazed! The psychic told me I had money
troubles, and that's true I do have a lot of
credit card debt. She also told me that I'm
dissatisfied with my love life and that's also
true my boyfriend and I recently broke up. I
guess there really is something to psychic
hotlines!
The speaker has fallen prey to the Barnum
effect. The Barnum effect refers to the tendency
to interpret vague, general predictions or
personality descriptions as applying specifically
to oneself. Most people who call psychic
hotlines are troubled or unhappy about something
in their lives. It doesn't require "psychic
ability" to guess that a particular caller may
have concerns about money, love, or both.
6
Professor Stanton has suggested that we conduct
controlled studies to test my claim that runners
who stretch before they run suffer fewer
injuries. This would be like conducting
controlled studies to determine whether fish live
in water. It's just common sense to suppose that
runners who stretch have more limber muscles, and
thus suffer fewer injuries.
In what ways does this passage reflect
pseudoscientific thinking?
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Professor Stanton has suggested that we conduct
controlled studies to test my claim that runners
who stretch before they run suffer fewer
injuries. This would be like conducting
controlled studies to determine whether fish live
in water. It's just common sense to suppose that
runners who stretch have more limber muscles, and
thus suffer fewer injuries.
The speaker displays a pseudoscientific attitude
by refusing to subject his "common sense" claim
to scientific testing. Many so-called common
sense beliefs have been proved false by
science. In fact, while the evidence is mixed,
several recent scientific studies have found that
stretching prior to running does not improve
flexibility or reduce the risk of injuries.
8
Psychic aura reader I can tell what kinds of
emotions you are experiencing by reading your
psychic aura--an egg-shaped, multi-colored
psychic radiation or emanation that surrounds
you.Zoe OK, what am I feeling right
now?Psychic aura reader You are happy and
contented.Zoe Wrong. My cat Schroedinger got
run over this morning. I feel sad and
bereft.Psychic aura reader You only think you
feel sad and bereft. Subconsciously, you are
pleased that your cat got run over.
In what ways does this passage reflect
pseudoscientific thinking?
9
Psychic aura reader I can tell what kinds of
emotions you are experiencing by reading your
psychic aura--an egg-shaped, multi-colored
psychic radiation or emanation that surrounds
you.Zoe OK, what am I feeling right
now?Psychic aura reader You are happy and
contented.Zoe Wrong. My cat Schroedinger got
run over this morning. I feel sad and
bereft.Psychic aura reader You only think you
feel sad and bereft. Subconsciously, you are
pleased that your cat got run over.
The aura reader is seeking to explain away
falsifying data.
10
Psychic aura reader I can tell what kinds of
emotions you are experiencing by reading your
psychic aura--an egg-shaped, multi-colored
psychic radiation or emanation that surrounds
you.Zoe OK, what am I feeling right
now?Psychic aura reader You are happy and
contented.Zoe Wrong. My cat Schroedinger got
run over this morning. I feel sad and
bereft.Psychic aura reader You only think you
feel sad and bereft. Subconsciously, you are
pleased that your cat got run over.
Instead of candidly acknowledging that Zoe's
remarks constitute strong evidence against his
professed psychic abilities, the aura reader
seeks to explain away that evidence by offering
an implausible alternative explanation. Genuine
science, on the other hand, actively seeks out
and welcomes falsifying evidence, since
scientists know that this is how the greatest
scientific advances are achieved.
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Anthropology and other social sciences have shown
that there is wide cross-cultural disagreement
about what is ethical or moral. Some cultures,
for example, consider polygamy to be immoral,
while others do not. Thus, science has shown that
morality is culturally relative there is no
"absolute" or "objective" right or wrong.

• In what ways does this passage reflect
  pseudoscientific
• thinking?

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Anthropology and other social sciences have shown
that there is wide cross-cultural disagreement
about what is ethical or moral. Some cultures,
for example, consider polygamy to be immoral,
while others do not. Thus, science has shown that
morality is culturally relative there is no
"absolute" or "objective" right or wrong.
This speaker is confused about what science can
and cannot establish. Science may be able to
show that there is, in fact, wide cross-cultural
disagreement about ethics. This is a factual
question that can be investigated scientifically.
However, science cannot show that there are no
"absolute" or "objective" moral truths. This is a
normative or value question that cannot be
settled by any conceivable scientific observation
or experiment.
X

• This is the end of the tutorial