Pseudoscience is the set of claims that seem scientific but aren't. Pseudoscience is growing in popularity and has led to the misinformation explosion. Though not all pseudoscience is bad it can be misleading and many Americans are prone to believing that claims are true even though their is virtually no evidence. A survey was done in the US that showed 41% believe in extrasensory perception (ESP), 30% believe in haunted houses and ghost, and 25% in astrology. What amazes me is not the statistics shown but that some people believe it all, such as the stars are able to predict what is going to happen or how your going to feel that day. In the book it states "Our brains are predisposed to make order out of disorder and find sense in nonsense" I agree with that statement, there are greater questions doesn't mean we have to make up an answer. Pseudoscience is seen everywhere ranging from ads to diet pills that make you skinny and are the best.
Although pseudoscience can seem over whelming as there are no bounds to the science there are ways to to avoid traps and to determine what is pseudoscience and what is science that has evidence behind it. The emotional reasoning fallacy, bandwagon fallacy, and the not me fallacy are just a scratch of the surface of ways pseudoscience can charm and seduce people. Our emotions getting in the way and determining whether or not we'll believe a claim. The idea that since many people believe in the claim that we ourselves must believe it to be true as to not feel left out. And the ideology that we cannot be harmed with mental issues that other people get affected by such as schizophrenia. Pseudoscience can be fun and entertaining if you take what you read as what it is and not as the almighty truth.
Pseudoscience
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Great post. Good job picking a point that was interesting to you and relaying your thoughts to us.
I think you hit the nail on the head in your last sentence of this article. Pseudoscience can be fun and even helpful or motivational for some people, but it must be taken with a grain of salt and we must remember that it is not actual science.
I like that you point out that our brains try to make sense out of seemingly random events. I think that this really fits in with why people believe in astrology and things like acupuncture. The way you summed up your post was done very well, with saying that we need to be analytical in our observations on pseudoscience.
I was particularly interested in the bandwagon fallacy myself. This website does a particularly good job of highlighting this particular effect associated with pseudoscience: http://logical-critical-thinking.com/logical-fallacy/bandwagon-fallacy/
According to what I have read, the "Bandwagon Effect" is one of the top three biggest contributors to errors in human thinking. I find this so fascinating, because it is so seemingly obvious that subscribing to this type of thinking can really lead someone astray and hold people back from true learning. Overall, I enjoyed reading your reaction to learning about pseudoscience in this chapter.
When I was younger I believed in ghosts and haunted houses because they were part of popular culture. Now, taking Psychology 1001 and learning about pseudoscience, I realize I believed in the unbelievable because I wanted to. I had no proof of their existence, yet I entertained the thought of their existence because it seemed harmless and fun at the time. I really like how in this post you write how pseudoscience can be fun if you do not make it into something that it is not. If it is taken out of context and becomes exaggerated then it can become harmless.