To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning.~Wikipedia
I like science. The modern world is a direct result of science-for good and ill. From Play Doh to the Large Hadron Collider, science is all around us. But at the same time, Pseudoscience is also all around us. Things like creationism, astrology, and cures for AIDS provided by greedy bastards.
Nonsense on Stilts makes the case for thinking before you accept anything on face value. But Massimo Pigliucci is a scientist, so he has a soft spot for Scientists. In general, he wants to listen to the Facts, if you can find any, and when in doubt, put your trust in Real Science.
Which brings up one of the bigger problems, just like you can no longer tell real food from fake food, it’s not always easy to tell real science from fake science. So there are many examples in Nonsense on Stilts. In the corner for Real Science is Evolution, Global Warming, and larger issues like Physics. In the corner for Pseudoscience is Intelligent Design, Astrology, and all manner of things like Cold Fusion.
In fact, it’s not always easy to know what Real Science is any more. Nonsense on Stilts makes the point that all theories, every last one, have been proven wrong. To be fair they have been replaced with better theories, but these too, will one day be replaced with better theories. So that people who want to argue about Darwin’s Theory of Evolution are like people who want to argue about the latest styles of horse-drawn buggies-just a little bit behind the times. And then there is the general lack of work dealing with the real world in Physics over the last hundred years or so. Does the study of possibilities still count as science? Isn’t The Secret working on the same nonexistent reality as Muons and Tauons and the like?
The problem with bunk is that people want to believe it. There are none so blind as those who will not see. So while I really enjoyed Nonsense on Stilts: How to Tell Science from Bunk
Nonsense on Stilts is filled with facts and logical arguments and a large number of big words and big ideas. This is not a book that will be enjoyed by fans of Creationism, UFOology, Astrology, or Think Tanks.
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Does the study of possibilities still count as science? WHAT A GREAT QUESTION.
I just bought “Bad Science” by Ben Goldacre and am looking forward to reading it. Sounds like its along the same lines as this book.
Lord Kelvin thought that we had pretty much discovered everything worth discovering in the late 1800s. Sometimes I think he was right.
Have you checked out the Bad Science blog? http://www.badscience.net/ I might have to look for that book, those Brits are all smarter than us anyway-at least they Sound smarter.