Pseudo‐science: A meaningful context for assessing nature of science

Science, pseudoscience and Sellick.

remains a much-feared complication of anesthesia. Anesthesiologists commonly refer to patients as being at ‘high risk’ of pulmonary aspiration. Risk means that an unpleasant or dangerous outcome may occur. The frequency of that outcome quantifies the risk. We accept assumptions about ‘risk factors’ that will reduce or increase that frequency, while giving little attention to the evidence. We ta...

On Science and Pseudoscience

Information Security: Science, Pseudoscience, and Flying Pigs

The state of the science of information security is astonishingly rich with solutions and tools to incrementally and selectively solve the hard problems. In contrast, the state of the actual application of science, and the general knowledge and understanding of the existing science, is lamentably poor. Still we face a dramatically growing dependence on information technology, e.g., the Internet...

Study of behavior: Science or pseudoscience

Before starting to write this paper I wanted to be certain of the precise meaning of the word “legacy’’. In the Concise Oxford Dictionary I found that it is “a material or immaterial thing handed down by predecessors”. Thus, I understand that I am here in a role of predecessor, expected to hand over my thoughts about the field of science I have been concerned with throughout my life to the pres...

Social Thinking®: Science, Pseudoscience, or Antiscience?

Today, there are several interventions that can be implemented with individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Most of these interventions have limited to no empirical evidence demonstrating their effectiveness, yet they are widely implemented in home, school, university, and community settings. In 1996, Green wrote a chapter in which she outlined three levels of science: evidence sci...