Science is the intellectual and pragmatic action incorporating the systematic study of the structure and conduct of the physical and normal world through observation and experiment. It constitutes a body of knowledge and the process to which we can increase new knowledge that includes cautious observation, experimentation and statistical methods to affirm or dismiss a theory or hypothesis (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2015). This means that in the process of increasing knowledge, science unfolds something new by going above the norm to examine the nature and conduct of things and the data that we gain surrounding it. Science refuses to claim case, event or any study without legitimate documentation and information regarding the subject matter.
According to Merriam Webster dictionary, the term ‘pseudo’ is an adjective used to describe something not genuine; spurious or sham. This claim-to-be science method is dependent on observations and claims with lack of appropriate documentation and experimentation. Personal stories and claims could be taken into account replacing the demand for actual evidence. No new knowledge is obtained in its study and conduct due to lack of proper observation, experimentation and statistical methods leading to fads in theory overtime.
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Unlike science, pseudoscience demonstrates absolute lack of concern to criteria of legitimate proof. Research is never conducted on relevant, controlled repeatable scientific experiments, rather, it is on unverifiable eyewitness testimony, fiction, faked footprints, blurry photos, rumor, and questionable accounts. There’s not even a certified present-day logical research that could be cited. Pseudoscientists refuse to present any legitimate proof of any kind whatsoever for their claims because their theories are made up. Yet, they go around and treat the totally made-up material as though it were scientific, authentic and researched. Science follows steps to test theories. To illustrate this, I will give an example of solving a problem where every time I eat dairy, my tummy begins to upset me.
- Observation: Every time I eat ice cream it upsets my tummy.
- Question: Does my tummy upset me because I’m lactose intolerant or I can’t eat diary at all?
- Hypothesis: My tummy upsets me because I am lactose intolerant.
- Experiment: Ingest lactose included product in a 24 hours span.
- Analysis: My tummy did not hurt with the 24-hour span of ingesting the lactose product, therefore, lactose was not the cause of my stomach upset. Hence, we will reject our hypothesis and propose a new hypothesis.
- Hypothesis: My tummy hurts because I am allergic to dairy products in general.
- Experiment: Stop consuming diary and try other milk alternative, i.e., try almond milk with my cereal.
- Analysis new experimental result: My tummy did not upset me with a 24-hour span. Therefore, I will accept our new hypothesis.
If we look at pseudo-science, its claims are not necessarily testable. For example, ‘The Da Vinci Code’, by Dan Brown (2003). According to Rory Coker, “When the author was taken to task for gross errors and misstatements, he just calmly says, ‘Trust me’, or ‘Can't you read?’. Surreptitiously the authors treat them as well-established facts and shape them to gross yet more best-selling books” (p. 2). Another example is the presence of aliens of pseudoscience theory. The presence of aliens has no legitimate supporting knowledge, it is just a myth. People claim to see extra-terrestrial UFOs in the air, however, there has been no legitimate documentation to support its existence except blurry pictures, hence, could be regarded as pseudoscience.
I would like to conclude my essay on the differences between science and pseudoscience with the words of Janet Stemwedel (2011): “The big difference Popper identifies between science and pseudo-science is a difference in attitude. While a pseudo-science is set up to look for evidence that supports its claims, Popper says, a science is set up to challenge its claims and look for evidence that might prove it false. In other words, pseudo-science seeks confirmations and science seeks falsifications” (p. 2).
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