Pseudoscience is harmful. It is fake, mock, nominal, or would-be science, such as Homeopathy, Astrology, Parapsychology, Palmistry, and Creation Research, to name a few.
The list is endless. Despite my title, many of these strange beliefs are quite harmless. Members of the Flat Earth Society don’t do much harm other than spreading scientifically irresponsible misconceptions and total nonsense to ignorant people, including children. If you start in life believing the earth is flat you may end up “falling off”, which might be hazardous to your health.
Astrology, the study of the influence of the heavenly bodies on human affairs, is another rather harmless pseudoscience. You are welcome to believe that your hair grows faster, or that your chances of making a killing on the stock market are better, when Venus lines up with Jupiter.
What do the heavenly bodies have to say?
On Parapsychology the verdict is still out, and I have to admit that I waffle a little and can’t quite make up my mind. For instance, I have a feeling that both my wife and my dog often read my mind. I never read theirs but I’m pretty sure they know what I’m up to all the time. Every so often when I think of getting a snack, my wife will say something like, “Forget it. Remember, you are trying to lose weight”, or my dog will get up from his slumber and precede me to the refrigerator.
Psychokinesis: The ability of the mind to influence matter
What about faith healers and quackery in general? Snake oil and the blood of a dead cat can do wonders if you believe it hard enough. Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyers believed that warts could be “washed” off your hands if you dipped them in stump water or cat blood. Certainly not harmless to cats. Mark Twain himself is not a believer in miracle cures.
Podiatry, not to be confused with foot fetishism (LOL), is a medical specialty, and therefore a branch of the medical sciences, also known as medical arts. Foot fetishism is a common sexual ‘preference’, that according to the illustration below has been around for a while…
The Countess with the Whip – Martin van Maerle
Categorizing the medical sciences as arts stems from the days when ‘hit and miss’ doctors were no more than healers, dealing in the art of using herbal medicines and cures such as bloodletting, reflexology, and acupuncture.
As my feet are rather problematic, I base my knowledge of podiatry on years of experience and several surgeries, including a couple of botched ones. My current podiatrist is a very able and knowledgeable man who practices cattle ranching as a hobby and has the beefy arms and hands of a butcher.
I know this observation has little or nothing to do with the theme of this story, but that’s how my mind sometimes deviates. As a final example of fake science, I give you the Global Energy Balance Network – funded by Coca-Cola and promoting the idea that obesity is due to lifestyle alone, and not excessive calorie consumption. A good example of the harm done by pseudoscience.
2 responses to “Who Says The Earth Ain’t Flat?”
I love your voice. It’s playfully intelligent. The definitions of these pseudoscientific practices are both hilarious and accurate. Even as a person who rides the line of evidenced based work with spiritual endeavors, I can really appreciate it.
Kind words from a smart lady. Thank you.