WHAT IS SCIENCE?

Miss Marcela Humarán ⭒ Irish International School ⭒ Chemistry I0th

MELISSA BRIONES, FERNANDA GARCIA,

DANNA TAPIA, SOFIA PADILLA

WHAT IS SCIENCE?
Science consists of observing the world by
watching, listening, observing, and recording.
Science is curiosity in thoughtful action about the
world and how it behaves.
WHAT ARE THE BASIC CHARACTERISTICS
OF SCIENCE?
The nine main characteristics of science are:
Objectivity
Verifiable
Ethical neutrality
Systematic exploration
Reliability
Precision
Abstraction
Predictability
WHAT IS PSEUDOSCIENCE?

Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs,

or practices that claim to be both scientific
and factual but are incompatible with the
scientific method.

Pseudoscience may be called false science.

The term is used to describe something that
may be reported or recorded as a product
or real science, but actually there is no
connection to proper scientific methodology
and cannot be proven realistically.
CHARACTERISTICS OF
PSEUDOSCIENCE
Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory,
exaggerated or unfalsifiable claims; reliance on
confirmation bias rather than rigorous attempts at
refutation; lack of openness to evaluation by other
experts; absence of systematic practices when
developing hypotheses; and continued adherence long
after the pseudoscientific hypotheses have been
experimentally discredited.
Pseudoscience relies heavily on anecdotes and
personal experiences. It cherry picks confirming
evidence while ignoring or minimizing disconfirming
evidence.
HOW TO IDENTIFY
PSEUDOSCIENCE
Words that sound scientific but are used
incorrectly or don’t make sense.
Links and references (if they are provided at
all) are internal and do not take you to sources
outside the publisher or website.
Statistics are presented in decontextualized
ways, often without properly referencing the
source.
Arguments contain errors in reasoning.
The evidence largely comes from personal
experiences and testimonials.
 EXAMPLES OF PSEUDOSCIENCE
1. ANCIENT ASTRONAUTS AND CROP CIRCLES 4. POLYGRAPHS AND HYPNOSIS
Aliens may have visited the Earth and influenced civilization
A lie detector test or a polygraph is considered to be
or created the crop circles, even though there is no empirical
pseudoscience because it cannot prove a lie or truth. This is in
evidence existing. It is based on unproven evidence and
the same category as hypnosis, both used in the field of
myths and other unlikely theories.
psychology.

2. MOON LANDING CONSPIRACY OR THE FLAT EARTH 5. ESP (EXTRA SENSORY PERCEPTION)
Pseudoscience is used to try and prove that the original moon Using methods to gain information like clairvoyance,
landing did not happen or that the Earth is flat and disc- telepathy, and remote viewing.
shaped. Some people repeat these beliefs which only causes
the false theories to live on.

3. ASTROLOGY 6. CONVERSION THERAPY

A common belief in society today that says the alignment of This is an attempt to change a person's sexual preference
the celestial bodies have some effect on the behavior or from homosexual to heterosexual.
future of a person's life. The opposite, in fact, has been proven
with real science that the alignment of celestial bodies has no
effect on how people act or on their future.