What is pseudoscience?
Q: What is pseudoscience?
A: Pseudoscience is anything that pretends to be science but is not. It fails one or more parts of being scientific, and it is not open to testing no matter what evidence against it is available.
Q: How does pseudoscience differ from religion?
A: Astrology is a pseudoscience because it pretends to be based on facts, but is not. Religions make statements which are certainly not scientific and are not meant to be. Insofar as a religion makes no factual claims, it is not open to refutation. When it does make factual claims, however, it becomes vulnerable.
Q: What makes science different from pseudoscience?
A: The fundamental difference between science and pseudoscience lies in the openness of science to testing and correction - even when ideas were once believed to be true they can still be proved wrong with further evidence. Pseudoscience does not allow for this kind of testing or correction regardless of the evidence presented against it.
Q: What example illustrates the difference between religion and pseudoscience?
A: A good example of the difference between religion and pseudoscience can be seen in the Catholic Church's decision to defend ancient ideas (Ptolemy) against new ideas (Galileo & Copernicus). This shows that while religions may make factual claims which can become vulnerable if challenged, they do not pretend to be based on facts like astrology does with its pseudo-scientific approach.
Q: Is science always right?
A: No, science is not always right but it remains open to correction through testing which makes a clear distinction between science and pseudoscience.
Q: Does mainstream scientific community accept all theories?
A: No, some theories may fail one or more parts of being scientific so they may not necessarily accepted by mainstream scientific community even though they could still have some validity in certain contexts.
