The key difference between science and pseudoscience is that science is based on scientific and factual evidence, whereas pseudoscience is not.
In science, scientists use careful observation and experimentation to reject or confirm a hypothesis about a certain phenomenon. They search for evidence for and against theories and laws and study them closely. If the hypothesis cannot be proven, then it is discarded. However, in pseudoscience, creator of a hypothesis only looks for evidence to support his/her hypothesis; he/she performs no scientific experimentation and ignores or hides conflicting evidence.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Science
3. What is Pseudoscience
4. Science vs Pseudoscience in Tabular Form
5. Summary – Science vs Pseudoscience
What is Science?
Science is the mechanism by which phenomena are explained with facts. Some definitions state that it is a set of principles used to explain facts and phenomena. Scientific explanations are based on evidence; opinions, theories, tools and methods, results or indicators, and thorough discussions provide stable explanations for phenomena.
One of the most important features of scientific method is that it is rigorous and meticulous, and those properties result in accurate validations from several sources of information. Those sources of information are authentic, and the truthfulness is always checked through validating techniques. Science does not use irrational criteria to come up with a conclusion; it always uses the rational and unbiased methodology. A scientist always follows the scientific method to explain a certain phenomenon or a set of processes.
One of the most important features of science is that most of the new findings are related to the past discoveries. Some of those are extensions while there are some explanations that invalidate the former ones. Charles Darwin’s explanation of evolution is a scientific theory that changed the world. The explanation of the DNA structure by Watson and Crick is another scientific discovery that has been able to describe many biological phenomena inside organisms.
What is Pseudoscience?
Pseudoscience is a collection of beliefs or practices that claim to be scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. The Oxford English dictionary defines it as “a pretended or spurious science; a collection of related beliefs about the world mistakenly regarded as being based on scientific method or as having the status that scientific truths now have”. Pseudoscience is only a pretense or a masquerade of real science. It does not involve proper scientific evidence to explain a phenomenon. That means; there may be superficial beliefs or unexplained evidences used to explain a process or a set of processes.
How to Identify Pseudoscience?
It’s often difficult to understand the difference between science and pseudoscience. But there are some indicators that would help people to understand something as pseudoscience.
- Using vague and exaggerated claims – employing scientific claims that are not precise, little explanation, showing lack of understanding about basic principles of science
- Relying overly on confirmation rather than refutation – relying too much on personal experience and testimonials, disregarding the logical possibility that something can be shown to be false by observation or physical experiment, insisting that claims that must not have been proven false must therefore be true.
- Refusing to be tested by experts in the field – evading peer reviewing, claiming for need for secrecy or proprietary knowledge
- Lack of Progress – the claims remain the same, and nothing new is learned as time goes on
What is the Difference Between Science and Pseudoscience?
The key difference between science and pseudoscience is that science is based on scientific and factual evidence, whereas pseudoscience is not. In science, scientists use careful observation and experimentation to reject or confirm a hypothesis. They also search for evidence against theories and laws and study them closely. However, in pseudoscience, creator of a hypothesis only looks for evidence to support his/her hypothesis; he/she performs no scientific experimentation and ignores or hides conflicting evidence.
Another difference between science and pseudoscience is that science uses arguments based on logical or mathematical reasoning whereas pseudoscience often attempts to appeal to emotions, faith, and distrust of science. In addition, science does not accept personal experiences or testimonials as evidence whereas pseudoscience may accept personal experiences or testimonials as evidence.
Summary – Science vs Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience is a collection of beliefs or practices that claim to be scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. The key difference between science and pseudoscience is that science is based on scientific and factual evidence, whereas pseudoscience is not.
Reference:
1. Carroll, Bradley W. “Science and Pseudoscience.” Department of Physics & Astronomy, Weber State University.
2. “Pseudoscience.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 5 Oct. 2021.
Image Courtesy:
1. “The Scientific Method” By Efbrazil – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia