Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science

This book, originally published in 1952 as 'In the Name of Science: An Entertaining Survey of the High Priests and Cultists of Science, Past and Present,' is a survey of what Martin Gardner describes as pseudosciences and cult beliefs.

It became a founding document in the scientific skepticism movement.

Gardner debunks various fads and fallacies, discussing topics such as hollow-earth theories, Velikovsky's wandering planets, Wilhelm Reich's orgone energy, and L. Ron Hubbard's Dianetics.

He identifies common characteristics of pseudoscientists, including isolation from the scientific community and paranoid tendencies.

The book provides a fair and reasoned appraisal of eccentric theories, highlighting their scientific, philosophic, and sociological-psychological implications.