Pseudoscience

What constitutes a scientific claim and can such claims be differentiated from other sorts of claims?


Ways of distorting evidence

• Names one's 'authority' - their PhDs, certificates... etc
• They manipulate the results - we have to verify the source of information
• 'Ethos'
• Trials are shown
• However, these are 'predicted', 'controlled' to get the result they want
• Industry funded trials are 4 times more likely to produce more flattering effects
• Trials are 'hiding' the results - companies hides the trials that does not show the result they wanted
• Plasibo effect
• Believe that a medicine will help me
• Psychological effect that causes your body to cure oneself
• Side effects
• when someone gives more doses of their competitor's drug, it will cause more side effects- makes their product look great

Examples

• During the first seven days after birth, it is dangerous to expose a child to outdoors or to strangers - pseudoscience : in culture supersitions happens
• When a man and a woman both have sickle-cell anemia, it is dangerous for them to have children - science
• Singing while bathing is dangerous - pseudoscience : singing and bathing are very different things and in some cultures they believe that singing in shower can call the devil
• Bringing bundles of firewood from the farm into the village is dangerous - pseudoscience
• Smoking cigarettes is dangerous - 

Scientific Law, Theory, and Hypothesis

There are three terms in science that defines knowledge. In today's TOK class, we discussed about differences of law, theory, and hypothesis.

Law:

The term law is given to knowledge that are always true. Law cannot ever be proven wrong. However, in any cases, if a 'law' is proven wrong, every theories that were based on the law will be wrong like domino effect. It is accepted universally and all of the theories are based on a law. 

Ex) The law of gravity

Theory

A scientific theory consists of one or more hypotheses that have been supported with repeated testing. Theories are one of the pinnacles of science and are widely accepted in the scientific community as being true. To remain a theory, it must never be shown to be wrong; if it is, the theory is disproven. Theories can also evolve to become more 'complete', accurate theory.
Ex) The Big Bang Theorem

Hypothesis

A hypothesis is a reasonable guess based on what you know or observe. It is always  proven wrong or true. In scientific discovery, hypothesis plays a big role as theory is based on hypothesis and further laws are discovered due to simple hypotheses. 
Ex) If a prisoner learns a work skill while in jail, then he is less likely to commit a crime when he is released.