To many, pseudoscience is most likely a foreign concept. Without being able to identify these “alternative claims” that do not follow the scientific method, many are left to believe the pseudoscientific claims that they may encounter. In our society, there are many television shows that are centered around pseudoscientific beliefs, such as Ancient Aliens. This can make it hard to deter the public from believing in pseudoscientific ideologies due to the fact that it was broadcasted on television. Many believe, because it has been aired on a well known channel, like the History channel, it must be true. This is not the case, and can be detrimental to the public’s knowledge on certain topics. The construction of the pyramids by aliens could seem like an outlandish claim by most and would most likely be brushed off as harmless, but the public is swayed by pseudoscientific claims in more important areas of our lives, such as in politics. Climate change and vaccines are often a target for pseudoscientific ideas and are not topics to just ignore. Political and environmental issues should be considered with an analytical approach since it is very important to be informed on heavy topics such as these, and pseudoscience makes it harder for the public to identify factual data.
All pseudoscience can be considered problematic, but the misinformation that the public can gather from the pseudoscientific claims of the past are a cause for concern. Pseudoarchaeology suggests different, and often bizarre, claims about our past that are often believed to be true theories. It is important to have a clear understanding of our history and past so we can utilize the information when dealing with modern day problems. Most of the pseudoscientific ideologies seen in archaeology are centered around racism, fascism, and nationalism. Like mention previously, the building of the pyramids by extraterrestrial carpenters may seem silly and most people would ignore the claims. On the other hand, with many who have the belief of ancient aliens giving technology or helping the ancient Egyptians build up the pyramids, it is due to the fact that they do not believe that the people in that time or area could not be capable of such a wonder by themselves. This hidden racist agenda can be seen underlying many pseudoscientific claims, especially those revolving around archaeology and our past. It is crucial for the public to know how to identify these pseudoscientific claims and inform themselves with accurate, scientific proof.
I agree that pseudoscience is foreign to many people. I had not heard of the term before coming to Michigan State, and I presume others feel the same. It can be difficult to distinguish true and false claims, especially when the term at hand is foreign to you. It can be easy to blindly follow insane television shows, like Ancient Aliens, especially when you assume the channel it is broadcasted on is factual (like the History channel). Growing up I always assumed the History channel was to be taken seriously. The name alone, ‘History channel’, makes it sound like they would only air facts. This is detrimental to public knowledge. If someone grows up seeing outlandish shows their entire life, they will ignore certain topics that will actually harm Earth, and future generations. Or, eventually, they might actually come to believe certain topics. When people believe false claims, it is harmful to the progression we strive to achieve as a society. People who believe false claims might protest against facts, and hinder our progress, like climate change and vaccines, which are both points you brought up. Vaccines, for example, are good for our well-being and overall societal health. When people decide they are against vaccinations they put other people at risk, and that is a big concern. I think you raise a good point when you stated misinformation about claims of the past is a particular concern. Pseudoarchaeology can often sway people against outright facts about human past. This can be detrimental because it can harm the way we treat our current environment.
I completely agree with your post. It is hard for the general public to, at times, differentiate between pseudoscientific beliefs/points and fact-based science. A large part of the problem is that when people see a reputable source like the History channel spewing this type of information, it becomes completely easier for them to believe. Simple shows opening debate for pseudoscientific beliefs oftentimes seems initially harmless. Though when you find yourself in a conversation with your friend arguing with you that Atlantis is just hidden by fish warriors in the middle of nowhere, that is when it begins to call for concern. Deterring the public from reality is so easy when it is presented in the form of something more believable, especially when it is displayed by more reputable sources like I stated above.
I think it is our job to begin to steer the public back in the direction of factual thinking. When science is based off religion or just sheer belief, it becomes dangerous since it just stomps on hard earned facts that are based off the scientific method. Tossing aside science because one would like to believe in something other worldly begins to threaten science as a whole. Though it is initially presented to the public as innocence and a good old conspiracy theory, it destroys years of work put in by the scientific community.
Your post was such a good read and I found myself agreeing more and more with every point you made. In my own post, I touched on similar ideas but I get too worked up about these issues and therefore tend to let my emotions run a little rampant in my posts. Even though it’s clear you feel strongly about these ideas as well, I found your post to be extremely persuasive and analytical. You pointed out the issues you tackled clearly and supported them well which made this post a very fun one to read. One thing you talked about that particularly caught my attention was when you compared pseudoarchaeological misgivings and popular alternative facts, such as those surrounding climate change and vaccinations. It is so important to bring these into light when talking about the harms of pseudoscience as these both can have massively detrimental effects on our society. We can see the spread of previously eradicated illness because of the anti-vaccination campaign with infections like Whooping Cough being back on the rise. Ask an anti-vaccine supporter and they will claim it’s just a coincidence. The perpetuation of the pseudoscience behind anti-vaccine campaigns leads to death and strife for children all across the world. These fake scientific claims can cause real world harm. As you said in your post, the belief in pseudoscience can start off small but that small seed of doubt can be nurtured and grown into a magnificent tree of lies. Thank you for sharing such a thought provoking post!