Galileo wasn't persecuted because he argued the earth went around the sun. He argued that he was persecuted because he couldn't prove that, so he made that claim. Galileo had the theory of the tides being caused by the rotation of the earth, which is just wrongi it predicts the opposite of what actually happens. And a and so ot. Not to say that it was right to put galileo under house arrest at all. A, but galileo was given an opportunity to make an argument, and he didn't succeed in making the argument.
Everyone has heard of the term “pseudoscience”, typically used to describe something that looks like science, but is somehow false, misleading, or unproven. Many would be able to agree on a list of things that fall under its umbrella — astrology, phrenology, UFOlogy, creationism, and eugenics might come to mind. But defining what makes these fields “pseudo” is a far more complex issue. Given the virulence of contemporary disputes over the denial of climate change and anti-vaccination movements — both of which display allegations of “pseudoscience” on all sides — there is a clear need to better understand issues of scientific demarcation. Shermer and Gordin explore the philosophical and historical attempts to address this problem of demarcation.