Pseudoscience

1
Pseudoscience

• In essence it involves things presented as
  scientific which do not meet the standards of
  science.

2
Science

• Based on conclusions derived from valid empirical
  evidence.
• Pseudoscience is based on other methods of
  validation

3
Astrology

• Astrology is the ancient and popular belief that
  the positions of the moon, some of the planets,
  and certain stars at the time of birth influence
  a persons personality traits and various aspects
  of daily life.

4
Astrology

• Vague
• Much room for interpretations
• Ideas will apply to the general public
• LETS LOOK AT TODAYS HORRORSCOPES
• Experiments have shown no statistical tendency
  for truth
• Interested take Mr. Smiths

5
Astrology

• Astrology failed to perform at a level better
  than chance.The experiment clearly refutes the
  astrological hypothesis.

6
Dowsing

• Clicking the alarm and snuggling in your sheets
  in the morning..?
• A practice of finding underground water with the
  use of a tool often a forked stick.
• Unsuccessful when subjected to careful scientific
  scrutiny

7
Why movement of stick?

• When muscle movements are subconsciously
  triggered (called ideomoter actions) the movement
  of the rod may appear to be caused by an outside
  force.

8
Worlds in Collision

• Immanuel Vlikovsky explains ancient historical
  accounts using the theory of Venus once being a
  comet and colliding with the earth.
• Velikovsky never felt a need to revise his ideas
  in light of what most would consider reasonable
  criticism.

9
Lysenkoism

• Governments can promote pseudoscience
• Agricultural and biological science in the Soviet
  Union were nearly destroyed by Trofim Lysenko.
• Plants seek a higher good than self
  preservation.
• Darwin- species arise through a slow process of
  change.
• Lysenko transformation can occur quickly
• Seeds in wheat form, barley rye, oats, pine and
  fir.

10
Lysenkoism

• Rejection of most of the methods of both research
  and discourse in science.
• Distinctions of good and bad science are made on
  political grounds instead of scientific ones.

11
Creation science

• Creationism involves the belief that the Old
  Testament book of Genesis provides an accurate
  description of Earth History. Including plant,
  animal, and human history.
• As a religious doctrine, creationism is not a
  threat to science, some want it taught as a
  science, not as a religion.

12
Creation Science discredit Evolution?

• Whereas science is based on drawing conclusions
  from empirical evidence, creation scientists
  start with a belief that their theory is correct
  and then seek evidence that they can interpret as
  corroborating their preconceived ideas and as
  refuting competing theories.

13
Creationism

• The idea of creationism has an important place in
  religious discxussions but there is no valid
  reason to consider it an important scientific
  theory or one which should be taught in school
  science classes either as a theory of equal
  stature as, or in place of evolution.

14
UFOs

• Unidentified flying objects believed to be of
  extraterrestrial origin
• Actual cause for sightings cannot be determined
  every time, due to a lack of information and does
  not lead to the conclusions that space aliens
  visited the planet.

15
Paranormal Phenomena

• Telepathy, precognition, faith healing, psychic
  surgery, psychokinesis, contacting the dead,
  pyramid power
• Phenomena considered extrasensory, without the
  use of the five senses.
• Known physical concepts do not appear to be
  involved in these.

16
Medical Quackery

• Fit for life diet
• Homeopathy diluted substances to aid in the
  cure of disease
• The placebo effect
• Sales in the millions
• Laetrile
• Testimony from cured patients

17
More Quackers

• Alternative medicines,
• Accepted as useful, they have not been tested
  sufficiently.
• Conventional treatments need tested too, and
  sometimes they are not examined deeply enough.

18
Some other really cool stuff

• Cryptozoology
• Atlantis
• Graphology
• Lunar effect
• Bermuda Triangle

19
Pseudoscience ranges from the silly to the deadly

• There is just one basic joke in all humor
• Human beings trying to impose their will on
  reality and reality showing them up for fools.