Science and Pseudoscience



The methods and findings of science can seem mysterious to lay audiences. The whole enerprise is viewed with suspicion in some quarters, given the propensity of many in the media to present scientific findings as a sort of non-divine revelation. On the other hand, everyone understands that in our culture statements are true to the extent they can be described as scientific. This fact makes it easy for charlatans to coopt the language of science to promote favored political agendas. Particularly insidious is the use of pseudoscience by many on the political right to justify narrow religious dogmas. Thus, we are treated to an endless barrage of claims that new findings in cosmology or biology prove God's existence, or that materialistic science has become obsolete. These claims are silly, but when presented in suitably technical dress they can appear impressive. The support of intelligent-design theory as an alternative to Darwin's theory of evolution is the latest example. Among professionals, intelligent-design is rejected owing to the manifest falseness of its arguments, coupled with its inability to produce useful results in day-to-day scientific work. ID's political defenders do not care about such things, however, and prefer to present Darwinism as dogmatic atheism in a lab coat. Such rhetoric is useful for arousing the emotions of lay audiences, but they have no connection with reality.

Many professionals respond to pseudoscience by ignoring it. This is a mistake, if for no other reason than the fact that funding decisions are made by politicians, who must be sensitive to their constituents, many of whom take pseudoscientific ideas very seriously indeed. It is not a good thing that a phony psychic passing off simple parlor tricks as communication with the dead has one of the highest rated shows on television. Nor is it good that many learn what they know of modern science from right-wing showmen like Rush Limbaugh or Sean Hannity (who once shamelessly described Darwinism as "liberal science".) Ultimately, the only way to defeat such nonsense is to confront it vigorously.

Essays



Anti-Pseudoscience Sites

  1. National Center for Science Education     Dedicated to preserving the teaching of evolution in public schools.
  2. The Skeptics Society     Publishers of Skeptic Magazine.
  3. TalkOrigins.org     Excellent collection of articles refuting every aspect of creationist pseudoscience.
  4. CSICOP Home Page     Publishers of The Skeptical Inquirer magazine.
  5. Massimo Pigliucci's Web Site     Rationalist and humanist web site maintained by a prominent evolutionary biologist.