Science Fiction and Pseudoscience - Interest in Science Fiction
Pseudoscience is defined here as claims presented so that they appear [to be] scientific even though they lack supporting evidence and plausibility.
Although scientists are concerned about scientific illiteracy, including the public's gullibility regarding pseudoscience, few choose to say much about it.
According to renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, "science fiction is useful both for stimulating the imagination and for diffusing fear of the future."
How surprising, Stephen Hawking can communicate in English :!: How can he communicate if he is ill :?: It is a logical fallacy for him to communicate while being ill, as an ill person simply cannot communicate. :idea: :arrow: Maybe it is a science and technological fiction; or else, the divine planets of geocentric planetary system must have performed their infallible, egocentric tricks and enabled him to communicate in English. :lol: :lol: :lol:Quote:
An excellent example is Stephen Hawking. Before the onset of illness, Hawking had refined his problem-solving skills (by problem-solving I mean mathematical and scientific ability) to such a tremendous extent, that when his ability to communicate with others was severely curtailed, his ability to reason nevertheless remained intact.
How Widespread Is Belief in Pseudoscience?
Belief in pseudoscience is relatively widespread.
Is Belief in Pseudoscience Harmful?
Belief in pseudoscience may indicate a lack of critical thinking skills.
Concerns have been raised, especially in the science community, about widespread belief in pseudoscientific phenomena.
People drawn to pseudoscience long for a world that is some other way than the way it is.
Pseudoscience is a sort of background noise, annoying, but rarely rising to a level that seriously interferes with genuine scientific discourse.
Most of this miscommunication involved the promotion of pseudoscience and the inaccurate portrayal of the scientific process.
Interest in science fiction may affect the way people think about or relate to science.
It is useful to discover whether interest in science fiction is a possible indicator of positive attitudes toward S&T.
According to one group studying such phenomena, pseudoscience topics include yogi flying, therapeutic touch, astrology, fire walking, voodoo magical thinking, Uri Gellar, alternative medicine, channeling, Carlos hoax, psychic hotlines and detectives, near-death experiences, Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), the Bermuda Triangle, homeopathy, faith healing, and reincarnation (Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal).
More than 25 percent of the public believes in astrology, that is, that the position of the stars and planets can affect people's lives.
In one recent poll, 28 percent of respondents said that they believed in astrology; 52 percent said that they did not believe in it; and 18 percent said that they were not sure (Newport and Strausberg 2001).
Nine percent of those queried in the 2001 NSF survey said that astrology was "very scientific" and 32 percent answered "sort of scientific"; 56 percent said that it was not at all scientific.
Scientists and others believe that the media, and in particular, the entertainment industry, may be at least partially responsible for the large numbers of people who believe in astrology, ESP, alien abductions, and other forms of pseudoscience.
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind02/c7/c7s5.htm
:D :) :thumbsup: