Episode 31: Science vs Pseudoscience

Send a text

In this episode, April realizes that the difference between science and pseudoscience isn't a distinct line, it's more of a continuum. Nevertheless, science remains scientific, while pseudoscience is, well, not so much.

Episode 31 Show Notes:

Here's the Science Council's definition of science:
https://sciencecouncil.org/about-science/our-definition-of-science/

Great discussion of the topic by Lillienfeld, Lynn, and Amaratti:
https://scottlilienfeld.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/lilienfeld2015-5.pdf

An extensive discussion of the differences from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/pseudo-science/

Mario Bunge's article on "cognitive fields:"
https://cursosist2010.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/bungepseureduc.pdf

Great article from the Boston Review about Karl Popper and the pros and cons of falsification:
https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/michael-d-gordin-fate-falsification/

Newsweek article about "Behind the Curve:"
https://www.newsweek.com/behind-curve-netflix-ending-light-experiment-mark-sargent-documentary-movie-1343362

Good article that explains "bad" science:
https://www.digitaljournal.com/tech-science/why-some-science-is-actually-bad-science/article/455538

ThoughtCo's article about "hard" and "soft" science:
https://www.thoughtco.com/hard-vs-soft-science-3975989

Well, yeah, bad and fraudulent science is a problem:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/aug/09/scientific-misconduct-retraction-watch

Fun and interesting (but ultimately serious) webpage with lots of great information about pseudoscience by Dr. Rory Koker:
https://web2.ph.utexas.edu/~coker2/index.files/distinguish.htm

Emily Willingham's Forbes artlcle about commercial pseudoscientific claims:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2012/11/08/10-questions-to-distinguish-real-from-fake-science/?sh=156ddfb6146c