Physics WK 2

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DB 2: Your initial post should be at least 200 words in length.

Discuss the main difference between science and pseudoscience. What are some examples of pseudoscience, and what are some of their claims? What makes pseudoscience not real science? Is there your way to determine if it is a real science or not? Share your ideas with your classmates.

Reply 1:

Reply 2: Monica Thompson

In Latin, science is scientia, meaning "knowledge". Science has become the most respectable kind of knowledge to date. It uses reliable data that has been proven, tested, and observed repeatedly, yielding the same results. Pseudoscience is a claim or system that appears scientific but is not based on testable, measurable, and repeatable evidence. It is literally armchair philosophy, so to speak; it is what one believes. It lacks solid evidence and can’t be tested or proven wrong. In other words, it is a belief or claim. 

An example of pseudoscience is eugenics. During a certain era, this movement claimed that by regulating who could have children would lead to a “better” human race. Can you guess when this occurred? How twisted and demented this was, and to think this practice may still be occurring today, without our knowledge. Obviously, in this example of pseudoscience, there was no solid evidence to support it as scientific. It was more racially biased and agenda-driven based on social and political beliefs, keyword beliefs. There was no objective evidence to support this claim, and in the long run, it only harmed the human race. My background is diverse, as is true for most people, and research shows that intelligence is not defined by race but by each individual. 

The use of observation and reasoning dates back to Aristotle, around 300 BCE, and the modern scientific method took hold in the early 1600’s, when Galileo and Francis Bacon applied it to their discoveries. So, the clear difference between science and pseudoscience is the scientific method. Science clearly uses the scientific method, and pseudoscience does not.

Reply 2: Victoria Papuchis

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There is a clear difference between science and pseudoscience, and the biggest distinction is that pseudoscience does not use the scientific method. The scientific method is a systematic, evidencebased process used to investigate questions, test ideas, and build reliable knowledge. Science depends on this structure because it reduces bias, follows logical steps, and allows researchers to test, analyze, and draw conclusions that can be repeated and verified by others.

This is what makes scientific findings trustworthy and continually improving.

From my understanding, pseudoscience is built more on personal beliefs, unsupported claims, and a refusal to accept criticism. These ideas often remain unchanged even when they have been proven wrong. Instead of being open to new evidence, supporters of pseudoscience tend to shift their explanations to avoid admitting that the claim doesn’t hold up. This resistance to scrutiny is exactly what makes pseudoscience invalid and frustrating. It often uses vague language, relies on testimonials instead of data, and cannot be independently verified. In real science, results must be consistent no matter who performs the experiment.

Thinking back to my own science classes, from elementary school through my current college studies, the scientific method has always been required. Every experiment or project involved forming a hypothesis, collecting data, and drawing evidencebased conclusions. That consistency is what separates true scientific practice from pseudoscience.

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