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Is there a pseudoscience you absolutely hate? Why?

Topics characterized as pseudoscience:

  • Astrology
  • Flat Earth belief
  • Climate Change denial
  • Global Flood geology
  • Free Energy (perpetual motion)
  • Feng Shui
  • Acupuncture
  • Homeopathy
  • Alternative medicine
  • Chiropractic
  • Colon cleansing
  • Crystal healing
  • Cupping therapy
  • Detoxification
  • Ear candling
  • Faith healing
  • Fasting (body cleansing)
  • Reiki (energy healing)
  • Tin foil hat
  • Qi (energy)
  • Linking vaccines to autism
  • Conversion therapy (change sexual orientation to heterosexual)
  • Hypnosis
  • Hypnotherapy
  • Law of attraction
  • Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)
  • Parapsychology
  • Polygraph (lie detection)
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Aura
  • Dowsing
  • Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP)
  • Lizard People

Religious pseudoscience:

  • Affirmative prayer
  • Exorcism
  • Koranic scientific foreknowledge (Islam)
  • Christian Science
  • Creation science (creationism)
  • Dianetics (Scientology)
Momen 5 June 5
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8 comments

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0

I like chiro and cupping therapy....You might have added misuse of pharmaceuticals to your list though.

What is the law of attraction btw?

twill Level 7 June 7, 2021
2

A guy in a podcast gave a summary that when doing science, you are quantifying how wrong your hypothesis can be. And that is all you can really "know" about it.

Anything other than "Trying to measure how wrong my working hypothesis is" is pseudo-science.

A valid theory is nothing more than the hypothesis that is shown to have less possibility to be wrong.
For simplicity (and monkey brain) we say that this is the "correct" theory.

When you look into pseudo-science, they are always trying to show that something is correct, they even use the same tools as some areas of "true science" uses, but with the wrong intent, and thus generate a lot of biased results with methodology errors. And those are the "best pseudo-science". Most of them are just one guy that wrote a self-published book and a legion of people being fooled of fooling others into believing in that.

0

All of the above

bobwjr Level 10 June 6, 2021
2

That is a pretty good list. But there is of course no hard boundary between the two, so that one or two do have some limited scientific respectability. Such as fasting, without the brackets (body cleansing), which has some genuine scientific support.

Most of the "good" pseudo-sciences get a good base on scientific knowledge and make a wrong curve at some point that generate a very wrong and expanded interpretation of reality.
So yes fasting can be good for very limited and specific objectives if done in a controlled way. But is not the widespread, good for all, DIY thingy that influencers tell you...

@Pedrohbds That is perfectly correct, my thoughts too. The problem of course is, that if people are not trained and or encouraged to follow critical thinking and healthy sceptical methods, then anything sourced from anywhere, including good science and philosophy, is no different from religion and can be used, and misused in the same way.

1

I have experience with polygraph, fasting and chiropractic. I don't know about all purported claims these may have, but from my experience in the things I have done or having my spine adjusted, I can tell a benefit with chiropractics and fasting.

A chiropractics i was explained, if back is out of place causing a nerve to be squished or compressed, the organs giving or recieving communication thru the squished nerve is not so good. I do self adjusting on my back and neck all the time and it helps to get them popped back into place. Relieves pain and constipation in some cases.

The days during and after my 40 day fast were some of the most healthiest feeling times I think I have ever had.

Polygraph I took once indicated according to operator that I had answered a question deceptively, or accused me of lying. I answered all questions honestly and do not trust polygraphs.

Word Level 8 June 5, 2021
1

Nice chart.
Big Bang cosmology is a costly fraud; each year it costs billions of dollars/euros but it keeps many thousands of mathematicians, et cetera, off welfare.

7

If lizard people aren’t real, how do you explain Donald Trump?

I thought he was genetically modified citrus. I guess that falls under the 'New evidence' category. Thank you for correcting me.

@Holysocks He could be a slime mold. That would put him in the neither plant nor animal category, and more like a brainless fungus.

@Organist1 Right. Thanks for setting me straight! 😄

1

LOL! I like the chart.

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