The History of Science and Pseudoscience

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

The author is a historian of science who teaches at Princeton University. He says his interest in the history of pseudo-science dates back to middle school. The book grew out of teaching a class on that subject, and trying to help students understand how science works. "You can't look at one without also looking at the other," he says.

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.