Pseudoscience Research Articles

The pseudoscience of Anti-Vaxxers – fetal body parts and cells in vaccines

The pseudoscience of Anti-Vaxxers – fetal body parts and cells in vaccines

The pseudoscience of Anti-Vaxxers – Squalene/MF59 is NOT the bad adjuvant Anti-Vaxxers make it out to be

The pseudoscience of Anti-Vaxxers – Squalene/MF59 is NOT the bad adjuvant Anti-Vaxxers make it out to be

The pseudoscience of Anti-Vaxxers – Autism is NOT caused by vaccines

The pseudoscience of Anti-Vaxxers – Autism is NOT caused by vaccines

The pseudoscience of Anti-Vaxxers – Mercury and Thiomersal

The pseudoscience of Anti-Vaxxers – Mercury and Thiomersal

Epochs of an AI cosmology

We began the discussion about the educational benefits to the general public of a standard AI Cosmology in Volume 4 Issue 2 of "AI Matters". But the mere notion of such a standard immediately raises lots of questions. In this column, we only focus on a very narrow set of those questions: First and foremost: Is there an AI Cosmology? If in fact the notion of cosmology applies to AI, is there only one valid AI Cosmology or are there competing valid cosmologies? If there is only one valid cosmology, what is its structure? How far can we take an AI Cosmology analogy? Like our Universe, did AI have the equivalent of a Big Bang? Is the field or structure of AI expanding or contracting? In an interview with Nikola Danaylov, podcaster of Singularity.FM, the late Marvin Minsky, one of the early AI pioneers, suggested that the evolution of AI in the 21st century maybe be contracting or even stalled! We posit that an AI Cosmology would help to educate the general public about our research and work, and its impact on society. Internally, it would help us to fix the objects, structure, and dynamics of the field. A standard cosmological model would help us all distinguish spurious AI mythos, pseudo science, hype, and fake news from the genuine article. A true cosmology of Artificial Intelligence would help us fix its origins, understand its trajectory, and predict its fate.

Women in the neurosciences.

The term 'scientist' was coined to describe Mary Somerville (1780-1872) as her contributions to astronomy commanded recognition of her excellence in science. Up to then, the term 'man of science' had been in use. In fields traditionally considered the province of males, the entry of women was viewed with consternation, apprehension and alarm. Resistance was instinctive in most leading scientists. This attitude was strengthened by illogical and pseudoscientific statements on the frailty of women. The pioneers blazing trails in medicine for their sisters to follow braved ridicule, hostility, and discrimination. At times they used subterfuge. The example of Dr. James Barry (Margaret Ann Bulkley) is well-known. Thanks to them, we now have nationally and internationally eminent scientists from the gentler sex, and some of them in commanding positions. The neurosciences developed in India as a result of the efforts made by pioneer neurosurgeons such as Drs. Jacob Chandy (Vellore), B. Ramamurthi (Madras), R.G. Ginde (Bombay), Dr. Prakash N. Tandon (New Delhi) and neurophysicians such as Drs. Baldev Singh (New Delhi), T.K. Ghosh (Calcutta) and Noshir H. Wadia (Mumbai). They and others such as Drs. V.R. Khanolkar, Darab K. Dastur, B.K. Bachhawat and Obaid Siddiqui encouraged individuals like Dr. Vimla Virmani, Dr. Devika Nag, Dr. T.S. Kanaka and Dr. Gourie Devi in the clinical neurosciences and Drs. Kamal Ranadive, V.S. Lalitha, Veronica Rodrigues and Gomathy Gopinath in the basic neurosciences. Two eminent neuroscientists from abroad (Drs. Nancy Kopell and Indira Raman), and three from India (Drs. Vijaylakshmi Ravindranath, Chitra Sarkar and Vidita Vaidya) have been chosen by me as representatives and their careers, contributions and views on discrimination against women in science discussed in brief. (This is not to deny outstanding work by others but limitations of space have made this choice necessary.) The factors favouring the blossoming of women in science include encouraging and stimulating parents, a conducive environment at home and mentors. A compelling drive to excel, hard work and sincerity are crucial to success. Nasty forms of experiences demoralise women. Sexual harassment by seniors and colleagues in the laboratory and elsewhere can lead to the victim leaving the field altogether. Discrimination in selection, promotion and publication lower morale and impact output in terms of research and contributions to journals and books. Suggestions made by the five eminent neuroscientists named above to liberate women from such negative behaviour by males are presented. The Indian Women Scientists' Association is playing an important role in helping their members, making their work known to society and generally empowering them. Since unity strengthens, collaborative activities with other similar organisations will augment efficacy. One such organisation is the much older Association of Medical Women of India.

No Laws, Only Toys

In the September 2018 issue, we ran an excerpt from The Money Formula Dodgy Finance, Pseudo Science, and How Mathematicians Took Over the Markets, where Paul Wilmott and David Orrell considered the dual nature of quantitative finance, as exemplified by two men – John Law and Isaac Newton. In this issue Paul and David argue that Quantitative Finance could learn much from other disciplines (like Mathematical Biology) that revel in the fact that you don't need perfect models to be a science, and still produce useful insights into mechanisms and behaviors despite the scarcity of applicable, reliable physical laws in the models.

How Do You Think It Feels? On Being the Epitome of Pseudoscience

Not Available.

On respectable pseudoscience of weak measurements and others

The paper which introduced such notions as “weak measurements” and “weak values” is shown to be wrong. The correct description of the considered Stern Gerlach experiment is given. Some experimental works based on are criticized. Some other respectable pseudo sciences are also mentioned. In between them are EPR and EPRB paradoxes, Quantum cryptography, teleportation, computers, and researches about Kochen-Specker theorem. A scientific censorship against critical papers is demonstrated. Some real problems of Quantum Mechanics (QM) are listed.

Airplane clouds: From chemtrail pseudoscience to the science of contrails

Les afirmacions i els arguments mes frequents trobats en forums i pagines web de pseudociencia en favor de l’existencia dels deixants dels avions, que anomenen chemtrails , es refuten a partir de l’explicacio cientifica del proces de formacio dels deixants de condensacio o sublimacio dels avions, els coneguts contrails . Es descarta la hipotesi de l’existencia dels chemtrails , ja que aquests no difereixen en res dels contrails , els quals son de natura hidrica i resultat d’un proces fisic referenciat en nombrosos estudis desenvolupats des de comencament de l’era de l’aviacio, a comencament del segle XX, fins a l’actualitat. L’article permet concloure que els chemtrails de la pseudociencia no son res mes que els contrails que defineix la ciencia.

The Pseudo-Science of Microaggressions

The Pseudo-Science of Microaggressions

Naar een emancipatie van de complottheorie

This article argues that pseudoscience lacks an adequate philosophical analysis Using conspiracy theories as a case study, it is claimed that such an analysis need to go beyond a mere epistemological approach. In the first part, it is shown that the existing philosophical literature shares the assumption that conspiracy theories are primarily deficient scientific hypotheses. This claim is contested, because such an approach can only understand what conspiracy theories fail to be, but not what they are and why people tend to endorse them. To develop an alternative, the second part starts from recent sociology of science, applied to conspiracy theories, that claims that both true and false theories are in need of a symmetrical social explanation. However, this opens the path to relativism because it does not allow for a significant distinction between scientific and conspiracy theories. In the third section an alternative analysis of conspiracy theories is offered, which does not abandon this distinction. Moreover, it is claimed that the most important element of conspiracy theories is not their truth value but rather their symbolic structures of meaning. The aim of conspiracy theories, and perhaps of pseudoscience in general, is then not to know facts about the world, but rather to offer a meaningful framework within which to live.

Science and pseudo-science in modern studies of Aleksandr Nevskii

Работа выполнена при поддержке гранта СПбГУ 5.38.265.2015 «Россия — Новороссия — Крым: Исторические закономерности единства».

Science or Pseudoscience? Knowing How to Tell the Difference

Science or Pseudoscience? Knowing How to Tell the Difference

Politics: Life at the divide

Alison Abbott hails a memoir from Italian senator and biologist Elena Cattaneo, scourge of pseudoscience.

Kritika některých aspektů díla K. R. Poppera ve vztahu k demarkačnímu problému

V úvodní části zrekapitulujeme v hrubých obrysech Popperovu teorii demarkace v návaznosti na jeho další teze týkající se kritiky induktivních postupů, úlohy metafyziky ve vědě a falzifikaci. Dílo vídeňského filozofa vyvolalo značné množství reakcí, jejichž spektrum sahalo od dílčích modifikací Popperových myšlenek jeho žáky, přes návrhy nových teorií jím inspirovaných, až po zásadní kritiku. Hlavní směry této kritiky načrtneme (bez nároku na úplnost) v další části statě. Polemizujeme především s jednostranným odmítnutím indukce a pokoušíme se zde rehabilitovat některé induktivní postupy. Následně upozorníme na nedostatky Popperova pojetí falzifikace i na problémy použitelnosti jeho demarkačního kritéria na typických příkladech ze sféry metafyziky a "pseudovědy" (psychoanalýza, astrologie). Závěr věnujeme diskuzi o úloze indukce a dedukce ve vědě, posouzení užitečnosti Popperových teorií ve vztahu k současné vědě.

Mind the (Unbridgeable) Gaps

In this paper, I explore two of the most pernicious kinds of scientific distortions and misconceptions pertinent to the study of religion (i.e., pseudoscientific trends focused on allegedly paranormal/supernatural phenomena and discontinuity between human and non-human cognition), arguing that: a) the adherence to the prestigious reputation of Eliadean academic frameworks may still cause grave distortions in the comprehension of relevant scientific fields; b) a reliance on cognition alone does not guaranteeipso factoa more epistemically warranted study of religion; c) an evolutionary and cognitively continuist approach to the study of religion is, instead, the most promising and fundamental scholarly tool to bridge the gap between the humanities and the natural sciences, even though it remains a long-term goal; d) the obsolete language of “aboriginal cultures” as open-air museums for our past is rooted in the aforementioned misconceptions and, though basically flawed, is still very much alive.

Astrology pseudoscience and a discussion about its threats to society

Astrology pseudoscience and a discussion about its threats to society

Reflections on pseudo-scientific medicine

Reflections on pseudo-scientific medicine

The editor's dilemma: how DSM politics are turning psychiatry into a pseudoscience.

The editor's dilemma: how DSM politics are turning psychiatry into a pseudoscience.