physorg | The word "pseudoscience" is used to describe something that is portrayed as scientific but fails to meet scientific criteria.
This misrepresentation occurs because actual science has
creditability (which is to say it works), and pseudoscience attempts to
ride on the back of this credibility without subjecting itself to the
hard intellectual scrutiny that real science demands.
A good example of pseudoscience is homoeopathy, which presents the façade of a science-based medical practice but fails to adhere to scientific methodology.
Other things typically branded pseudoscience include astrology, young-Earth creationism, iridology, neuro-linguistic programming and water divining, to name but a few.
What's the difference?
Key distinctions between science and pseudoscience are often lost in
discussion, and sometimes this makes the public acceptance of scientific
findings harder than it should be.
For example, those who think the plural of anecdote is data may not appreciate why this is not scientific (indeed, it can have a proper role to play as a signpost for research).
Other misconceptions about science include what the definition of a
theory is, what it means to prove something, how statistics should be
used and the nature of evidence and falsification.
Because of these misconceptions, and the confusion they cause, it is
sometimes useful to discuss science and pseudoscience in a way that
focuses less on operational details and more on the broader functions of
science.
What is knowledge?
The first and highest level at which science can be distinguished
from pseudoscience involves how an area of study grows in knowledge and
utility.
The philosopher John Dewey
in his Theory of Inquiry said that we understand knowledge as that
which is "so settled that it is available as a resource in further
inquiry".
This is an excellent description of how we come to "know" something
in science. It shows how existing knowledge can be used to form new
hypotheses, develop new theories and hence create new knowledge.
