BS-o-meter: Detecting Pseudoscience

A QUANTUM OF SCIENCE

Pseudoscience is no joke.

While some of its claims may be laughable, countless otherwise intelligent people are taken in by claims of better health, extended life, or superior male equipment. Some of these "miracle cures" are harmless (except perhaps to your wallet) but others can be deadly – for instance, "energized water" made by adding the radioactive element radium! As consumers of not just materials but also of information, it is critical for everyone to be able to spot science scams when they come your way.

The single best piece of advice is simply this: Question. Be skeptical. Don’t believe everything you read, or take it at face value. Ask for references. Check the background. Read a book, or talk to an expert. Ask if someone is trying to make a buck – or a convert. And never forget that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.

Common sense aside, here are some of the hallmarks of pseudoscience:

Use of vague, exaggerated or untestable claims. The language of science is that of objective, measurable quantities or verifiable characteristics. Good science also requires a narrow scope for its claims, and uses negative controls and blind tests to prevent it from reaching unjustified conclusions. Just what type of energy has been added to "energized water" anyway? Any claim that cannot be objectively measured or independently quantified is suggestive of pseudoscience.

Absence of authoritative references or citable sources. Scientists build on the work of those who came before them, and reference those sources extensively to show where their predecessors’ work ends and their own begins. By listing their sources, scientists establish their contribution in the context of previously tested and verified work in the same field, and present it for testing and verification by others. Any theory or claim lacking citations from established scientists in the same field should be viewed with extreme skepticism.

Unrepeatability or lack of openness to testing by other experts. The hallmark of science is reproducibility. If other scientists cannot replicate an experiment using the same conditions and materials described by the claimant, the claim is refuted. Pseudoscience often seeks evade this by making claims that are difficult or impossible to test and thus refute. Pseudoscience will sometimes make claims of "ancient knowledge" or "secret practices" from far-off lands, but these should be recognized as ways to convince the reader to be uncritical and accept the source’s claims without question.

Reductionism. In science, the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. This principle, known as Occam’s Razor, can be applied to any possible pseudoscientific claim as a way of discerning its value. If the explanation seems unduly complicated and unlikely, it is probably untrue.

Absence of progress. Science is constantly growing, learning, self-correcting and progressing. If a field does not constantly add to its body of knowledge, correct imperfections or errors in itself, or add further instances and explain further phenomena, chances are it is pseudoscience. For example, astrology today is almost identical to that of the last two millennia, and phrenology has not changed in the last 150 years since it first gained popularity.

Use of misleading language. Pseudoscience often seeks to cloak itself in the language of science and thus mislead the unsuspecting. This can be difficult for a non-scientist to detect or dispel, but overly-general terms such as "energy/energized" or overly-scientific terms such as "dihydrogen monoxide" (also know as H2O or water) are a sign of obfuscation and an attempt to mislead the reader. "Psi," "aura," "miracle," "natural" and "holistic" are other classic terms frequently misused in pseudoscientific claims.

Personalization of issues. Any theory that attracts extremists, the dogmatic, the charismatic, or that characterizes those who dispute it as enemies, is likely founded on pseudoscience. Often this is true of “scientific theories” propounded by extreme religious groups seeking to support a particular theology with something that sounds like science. Intelligent Design is one of the best examples of this – ultimately, this theory is not testable and thus cannot be the province of science, but rather of faith.

Claims of suppression, or of conspiracy to conceal or refute. Science is an open, peer-reviewed, transparent process – as it must be, in order to be cumulative and build upon itself. Real science is eagerly tested by others in the field, since it is either an innovation to be adopted or a fallacy to be exploded. It is only pseudoscience that shies away from peer review and independent testing. If a theory is supposedly being suppressed by the scientific establishment, it is likely to be in hiding from it instead.

Confirmation rather than refutation. In science, the burden of proof rests on those making a claim, not on the skeptic. Any theory that defies science to disprove it is likely to be pseudoscience.

Self-appointed experts and single-source theories. Successful scientific theories are tested by credentialed scientists and then used in their own work, leading to many examples and instances where it holds true. Often pseudoscience comes from someone lacking appropriate scientific credentials, or someone with unverifiable or obscure degrees from unlikely places. Also, if a theory is held only by a single person or a single group, and especially if that has been the case for an extended period of time, it is strongly suggestive of pseudoscience.

Association with financial gain. The adage ‘if it seems too good to be true, it probably is’ should be applied whenever claims of beneficial discoveries are purported. If a theory or claim is followed by an attempt to sell you a product or service purported to help you, especially in some subjective or non-quantifiable way, it is almost certainly pseudoscience and should be viewed with extreme skepticism.



For more information:

What is Pseudoscience?

H2O dot con: water-related pseudoscience, scams and quackery

Dowsing for Dollars – Fighting High-Tech Promises with Low-Tech Critical Thinking Skills

Crank dot net – a collection of scams and popular falsities on the web


© AQOS / P. Smalley (2009)
Reproduction with attribution is appreciation