Kaufman A.B., Kaufman J.C. (eds.) Pseudoscience: The Conspiracy Against Science

Boston: The MIT Press, 2018. — 537 p.Case studies, personal accounts, and analysis show how to recognize and combat pseudoscience in a post-truth world.
In a post-truth, fake news world, we are particularly susceptible to the claims of pseudoscience. When emotions and opinions are more widely disseminated than scientific findings, and self-proclaimed experts get their expertise from Google, how can the average person distinguish real science from fake? This book examines pseudoscience from a variety of perspectives, through case studies, analysis, and personal accounts that show how to recognize pseudoscience, why it is so widely accepted, and how to advocate for real science.
Contributors examine the basics of pseudoscience, including issues of cognitive bias; the costs of pseudoscience, with accounts of naturopathy and logical fallacies in the anti-vaccination movement; perceptions of scientific soundness; the mainstream presence of “integrative medicine,” hypnosis, and parapsychology; and the use of case studies and new media in science advocacy.David Ball, Paul Joseph Barnett, Jeffrey Beall, Mark Benisz, Fernando Blanco, Ron Dumont, Stacy Ellenberg, Kevin M. Folta, Christopher French, Ashwin Gautam, Dennis M. Gorman, David H. Gorski, David K. Hecht, Britt Marie Hermes, Clyde F. Herreid, Jonathan Howard, Seth C. Kalichman, Leif Edward Ottesen Kennair, Arnold Kozak, Scott O. Lilienfeld, Emilio Lobato, Steven Lynn, Adam Marcus, Helena Matute, Ivan Oransky, Chad Orzel, Dorit Reiss, Ellen Beate Hansen Sandseter, Kavin Senapathy, Dean Keith Simonton, Indre Viskontas, John O. Willis, Corrine ZimmermanForeword: Navigating a Post-Truth World: Ten Enduring Lessons from the Study of PseudoscienceIntroduction: Pseudoscience: What It Costs and Efforts to Fight It
The Basics of Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience and the Pursuit of Truth
The Psychology of (Pseudo)Science: Cognitive, Social, and Cultural Factors
The Illusion of Causality: A Cognitive Bias Underlying Pseudoscience
Hard Science, Soft Science, and Pseudoscience: Implications of Research on the Hierarchy of the Sciences
What Pseudoscience Costs Society
Food-o-science Pseudoscience: The Weapons and Tactics in the War on Crop Biotechnology
An Inside Look at Naturopathic Medicine: A Whistleblower’s Deconstruction of Its Core Principles
Risky Play and Growing Up: How to Understand the Overprotection of the Next Generation
The Anti-Vaccine Movement: A Litany of Fallacy and Errors
Scientific (or Pseudoscientific) Soundness
Understanding Pseudoscience Vulnerability through Epistemological Development, Critical Thinking, and Science Literacy
Scientific Failure as a Public Good: Illustrating the Process of Science and Its Contrast with Pseudoscience
Evidence-Based Practice as a Driver of Pseudoscience in Prevention Research
Scientific Soundness and the Problem of Predatory Journals
Pseudoscience, Coming to a Peer-Reviewed Journal Near You
Pseudoscience in the Mainstream
“Integrative” Medicine: Integrating Quackery with Science-Based Medicine
Hypnosis: Science, Pseudoscience, and Nonsense
Abuses and Misuses of Intelligence Tests: Facts and Misconceptions
Reflections on Pseudoscience and Parapsychology: From Here to There and (Slightly) Back Again
Science Activism: How People Think about Pseudoscience
Using Case Studies to Combat a Pseudoscience Culture
“HIV Does Not Cause AIDS”: A Journey into AIDS Denialism
Swaying Pseudoscience: The Inoculation Effect
The Challenges of Changing Minds: How Confirmation Bias and Pattern Recognition Affect Our Search for MeaningTruth Shall Prevail
Contributor List