June 6: Pseudoscience
Is SETI Science or Pseuodoscience?
Science vs. Pseudoscience
- science - explanation for every phenemonen based on quantitative data; a conclusion CAN be proved false
- pseudoscience - statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be scientific but are incompatible with the scientific method; a conclusion that CANNOT be proved false
What is SETI?
SETI is an acronym for the Search for Extraterrerstrial Intelligence.
Group's Classification
My group (Disha Javagal, Aditi Arunprakash, Carolin Chou, and Sanvi Guruprasad) concluded that SETI is science. Though both science and pseudoscience rely on experimentation, pseudoscience establishes conclusions based on qualitative obeservations whereas science establishes conclusions based on quantitative data. We feel that for SETI to be pseudoscience, then the statement would be "because there is life on Earth, there can be life elsewhere" simply based on that observation. In contrast, SETI analzes frequency in Hertz (https://www.space.com/cosmic-seti-alien-life-search-underway) and uses the Drake Equation (https://www.seti.org/primer-seti-seti-institute) to expand the research. Additionally, the technology currently available may not be advanced enough to draw a clear conclusion, considering SETI in the first stages of experiementation.
My Classification
I also classify SETI as science in the first stages. By the definition that science is an explantion for every phenomen that is falsifiable through quantitative data, SETI is simply researching the question of if there is extraterrestiral intelligence.
Pseudoscience Classification
- no result
- unreliable statistical analysis of the universe
- research seems to be attempting to prove a preconcieved conclusion rather than evidence supporting a claim
Further Examples of Pseudoscience
- astrology/horoscopes
- traditional medicine
- alchemy
More Sources
posted by Anandi Durgam @ June 06, 2024
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