* Lack of Empirical Evidence: Pseudoscience often relies on anecdotal evidence, personal testimonials, or selective interpretations of data, rather than rigorous scientific experimentation and observation.
* Unfalsifiable Claims: Scientific theories must be falsifiable, meaning they can be tested and potentially proven wrong. Pseudoscience often makes claims that are impossible to disprove, or they shift goalposts to avoid refutation.
* Absence of Peer Review: Scientific research undergoes rigorous peer review by other experts in the field to ensure its validity and quality. Pseudoscience rarely undergoes this process, often circulating through non-scientific channels.
* Ignoring Established Scientific Principles: Pseudoscience often contradicts well-established scientific principles and theories.
* Lack of Reproducibility: Scientific results should be reproducible by other researchers. Pseudoscience often produces results that are not reproducible, or they attribute failure to external factors.
Key Differences between Science and Pseudoscience:
| Characteristic | Science | Pseudoscience |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence: | Empirical, objective, and verifiable | Anecdotal, subjective, or selectively interpreted |
| Falsifiability: | Testable and potentially disprovable | Unfalsifiable or resistant to disproof |
| Peer Review: | Rigorous review by experts | Often avoids peer review |
| Methodology: | Systematic, controlled experiments | Often relies on anecdotal evidence or untested claims |
| Reproducibility: | Results are reproducible by others | Results are often unreproducible |
In short, science is based on a rigorous, evidence-based approach, while pseudoscience relies on unverified claims and often ignores established scientific principles.
