1. “FALSE” SCIENCE.2. FAILS TO COMPLY WITH THE USUAL

SCIENTIFIC TESTS. 3. INCONSISTENT WITH EXISTING, WELL-

ESTABLISHED SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE.

What is “Pseudoscience”

Examples of Pseudoscience

Mental Powers: ESP, mind reading, precognition, psychic surgery, auras

Spirit World: contacting the dead, ouija board, channeling, astral travel, astrology

Natural Mysteries: dowsing, Atlantis, crop circles, Bigfoot, Loch Ness monster

Aliens & UFOs: flying saucers, Roswell, alien abductions, Men in Black

Does NOT use the scientific method of clearly stating the hypothesis and  then

 making a test

Engage with a scientific question. Gather and analyze relevant evidence. Create explanations from evidence. Evaluate explanations in light of evidence and current

scientific knowledge. Communicate explanations.

Usually has an explanation even when the idea fails  (e.g. “astrology is only a tendency,” “the faith-healing treatment must have been started too late,” etc.)

“I saw Bigfoot.”

Many pseudoscientific claims are based on personal, anecdotal evidence.

Are essentially second hand stories: “I saw Bigfoot.” “I was abducted by aliens.”

Problems: Very hard to verify or test Essentially unfalsifiable Collected in a haphazard way/filtered Argument from authority

Alternative Explanations of the Evidence

Non-occurrence of the event: It didn’t happen.

Human error, e.g., mistaken observations and/or inferences.

Fraud/trickery, e.g., fake Bigfoot photos, stage magic masquerading as ESP.

Chance, e.g., coincidental events, a long run of heads in coin flipping.

Science.

Could This Be Pseudoscience?

Claim is first publicized thru mass media.Claim is sensational and exaggerated.Evidence for the claim is anecdotal.Claim contradicts known scientific principles.Claim uses scientific-sounding terminology in

non-scientific ways.SNOPES