Pseudoscience : a Very Short Introduction

Everyone has heard of the term "pseudoscience," typically used to describe something that looks like science, but is somehow false, misleading, or unproven. Many would be able to agree on a list of things that fall under its umbrella - astrology, phrenology, UFOlogy, creationism, and eugenicsmight come to mind. But defining what makes these fields "pseudo"is a far more complex issue. It has proved impossible to come up with a simple criterion that enables us to differentiate pseudoscience from genuine science. Given the virulence of contemporary disputes over the denial of climatechange and anti-vaccination movements - both of which display allegations of "pseudoscience"on all sides - there is a clear need to better understand issues of scientific demarcation.

Pseudoscience: A Very Short Introduction explores the philosophical and historical attempts to address this problem of demarcation. This book argues that by understanding doctrines that are often seen as antithetical to science, we can learn a great deal about how science operated in the past anddoes today.