RationalWiki:Webshites/Pseudoscience

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See the main article on this topic: Pseudoscience

Pseudoscience describes any belief system or methodology which tries to gain legitimacy by wearing the trappings of science, but fails to abide by the rigorous methodology and standards of evidence that are the marks of true science.

Promoters of pseudoscience often adopt the vocabulary of science, describing conjectures as hypotheses, theories, or laws, providing "evidence" from observation and "expert" testimonies, or even developing what appear to be mathematical models of their ideas. However, in pseudoscience there is no honest attempt to follow the scientific method, provide falsifiable predictions, or develop double blind experiments.

Although pseudoscience is designed to appear scientific, it lacks all of the substance of science.

When God was handing out Science Points™, he forgot these folks.

Alternative medicine[edit]

  • America's Frontline Doctors(link): A bunch of Pro-Trump, Tea Party conspiracy theorists disguising themselves as doctors who, during a Tea Party backed press conference on Capitol Hill, gave "advice" on how to fight COVID-19. Their claim that hydroxychloroquine is used to fight COVID-19 isn't backed by the scientific community. One of the members, Dr. Stella Immanuel, is a pastor. Among her sermons includes this little gem: "How long are we going to allow the gay agenda, secular humanism, Illuminati and the demonic New World Order to destroy our homes, families and the social fiber of America."[1] When their speech at Capitol Hill went viral, several websites started taking the video down. In addition, Squarespace already took down America's Frontline Doctor's website, but that point it was took late. Their pseudoscientific beliefs were already popular anti-vax, anti-mask, re-open the country groups.
  • Alex Chiu(link): Sells life extension cuff links and magical rings that make you immortal.
  • Citizendium(link): Initially a well-intentioned effort to trump Wikipedia that required the authors of its articles to actually be certified experts on the subjects in question, it promptly became a mouthpiece for pseudoscience promoters and has since become a tired exercise in pointless bureaucracy.
  • CureZone(link): A site set up as an altmed echo chamber for people who fear scientific medicine.
  • Dr. Baker(link): An anti-vaccine chiropractor.
  • Foodbabe.com(link): Nature woo, food woo, misguided activism, and occasional cheesecake. Citing it for anything other than the occasional recipe is not so hot.
  • Gimpy's GimpyBlog(link): A homeopath writes from the perspective of a straw-man 'allopath' (actual doctor).
  • Fluoride Action Network(link): Anti-flurodiation website that promotes "facts" based on fear-mongering and brags about its "accomplishments". Also teamed up with the director of GMO OMG (an anti-GMO propaganda film) to produce another likely-propaganda film "Our Daily Dose", so they're in good company.
  • Health Care Site(link): Buggy Wordpress webshite loaded with weed woo (with an unhealthy obsession with heroin and gluten thrown in for good measure). There is literally not a single disease that this site does not claim can be cured (not treated, cured; not symptoms reduced, cured!) by cannabis.
  • Health Freedom Rights(link): Primitive 90s-style webshite offering 2 oz. bottles of Gulf water for a mere $22.99. Oh, plus shipping. Oh, plus expert advice such as "measles doesn't kill."
  • Healthimpactnews.com(link): is also much like citing Mercola or Mike Adams.
  • Jim Humble(link): "Inventor" of the Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS). On top of claiming he can cure almost any disease with bleach, he also claims to be a billion year old space god from the Andromeda galaxy who used to move solar systems for fun. Sells MMS through a multitude of websites and online stores.
  • Institute of Noetic Sciences(link): Where pseudoscience and New Age quackery collide.
  • QuantumMAN(link): Idiocracy, here we come! This website claims to be able to upload cures for diseases such as the common cold directly to clients' bodies via "quantum teleportation" technology obtained from extraterrestrials. What this means, in other words, and we swear to God we're not shitting you, is that it charges users money to download nothing, claiming that a magical portal will be opened through which will be transmitted invisible medicine when you do. It even offers this shit for pets!
  • Real Farmacy(link): From conspiracy theories, to whacky holistic, anti-vaccine-promoting garbage, this site is famous for not citing sources, nor is there any continuity with their claims. It is most likely because the site owner(s) pull the information straight from their ass(es).
  • Reality Sandwich:(link): A cocktail of New Age woo and all sorts of spiritualist/alternative offerings, all in one convenient package. "Reality" appears to refer to one small sliver of pickle chip, and "sandwich" to the two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, onions, and sesame-seed bun that are made of everything but reality.
  • Trepan(link): Advocates trepanation, or the theraputic drilling of the human skull to "improve brain function." The founder of the organization behind trepan.com, Peter Halvorson, drilled a hole in his own skull with a power tool and found happiness. Uh huh. At least the background music is relaxing.
  • Dana Ullman(link): Homeopath and author so notorious for his online dickery he was awarded his own Internet law.
  • US Right to Know(link): Quack front group trying to discredit scientists who have discredited their favorite quacks by using Monsantodidit.
  • VacTruth.com(link): Same rubbish as VaccinationDebate.net (along with an even less appropriate name).
  • Whydontyoutrythis.com(link): cites many of the above including Natural News, and again will get you laughed out the room.
  • Zarbee's Naturals(link): Flaunting the Quack Miranda Warning, sells cough syrups, throat lozenges and pills that are made of honey and other "wholesome ingredients" and that are "free of artificial chemicals". Toxic liquid from this brand can also be found in the local pharmacies.

Creationist, Intelligent Design, and Evolution denial[edit]

  • Evolution Facts(link): A website linking to Vance Ferrell's book, The Evolution Handbook, which attempts to explain everything wrong with evolution.
  • Evolution News(link): This site purports to be an independent factual site reporting on the debate over intelligent design vs evolution, but is actually a mouth piece of The Discovery Institute in order to promote intelligent design as fact by apparently debunking evolution and related science using disingenuous selective quoting, misunderstanding or misstatement of scientific processes.
  • NephilimFree(link): A YEC Christian who likes the sound of his own voice, and has posted a large number of videos. He always wears headphones, either for that "finger on the pulse" look, or for going "lalala I can't hear you"? "I hope you find something interesting here," he says. He is even a geocentrist. His general creepiness (and his comments about stoning children) have given him the informal nickname of "PedophilimFail."
  • www.Creationism.org(link): Website created by Paul Abramson, host of Kent Hovind's screeds while in prison, as well as a site of links to different creationist sites, and a few incoherent "articles".

Global-warming deniers[edit]

  • Climate Change Dispatch(link): Hard-right climate denier blog, more or less.
  • Climate Depot(link): Run by Marc Morano, climate denial with a heavy dose of wingnuttery.
  • Cornwall Alliance for the Stewardship of Creation(link): Christian organisation advocating a biblical approach to conservation. Can be summed up as 'God made natural resources for Man to exploit, so go ahead and do so.' Also climate change denial, on the grounds that God designed the weather and wouldn't make it too fragile.

Pseudoscience crankery[edit]

  • Alexander Abian(link):: Insane math professor from Iowa State University (deceased). Believed that a massive rearrangement of the solar system would fix all of humanity's problems. Also believed that "time is mass", and that therefore for time to progress a little bit of matter has to be disappearing from the universe continuously. Was published—in the Weekly World News.
  • Field Liberation Movement(link): Belgian anti-GMO, borderline terrorist, activist group. Came in support of someone who gave her diploma to an unqualified anti-GMO activist and wants to reform science into "slow science" because most scientists at the Catholic University of Leuven claim that they are fighting for a bad cause.
  • Bill Gaede(link): Insists that "mathematical physics" is a religion, and science should only deal with material objects as he understands them, that forces involve double helices (that somehow are more tangible, despite being unobserved), and that the human race is inevitably doomed due to something called a "population pyramid."
  • Gaetano Marano(link): General aerospace nut. You name it, it's an idea that someone stole from him. Known for mindlessly spamming forums even vaguely related to space until he gets banned.
  • Gender Dysphoria Working Group(link): A group of cranks who bullshit their way to outlaw gender-affirming transgender care for people under 18.
  • Miles Mathis(link): Conspiracy theorist and physics crank who claims that NASA is involved in a massive cover-up to conceal the real value of pi, which according to him is actually 4.
  • Kevin Martin(link): Untrained amateur meteorologist who's made an enemy of the entire Internet weather community. Viciously racist and sexist with a habit of flinging violent threats at anyone who calls him out on his shit. Even the US National Weather Service has (in a read-between-the-lines kind of way) told people to ignore him. Basically a dumber and more arrogant version of Vox Day.
  • NeuroSGS(link): A TERF who interprets studies on trans people's brains to her liking in order to push the TERF narrative.
  • Newton's Equation Solved Wrong for 350 Years U Tube(link): A Time Cube-esque dissertation by a guy named Joe Nahhas arguing something to the effect of all physics of the past 350 years being wrong, with the obligatory use of different colors for every sentence. In his words: "I am Joe Nahhas discovered at age 15 in summer of 1973 that all of physics for past 350 years is mathematically solved in event time or lab time and later these same events will look different if measured in real time and will have different values and what we see later in real time will not be what started." Um, uh-huh.
  • Gary Mosher(link):: Physics crank who fervently asserts an alternate "theory of everything", rejecting all evidence of special/general relativity and the double slit experiment. He is also known as "inmendham", and alternately proposes a "destroy all life" philosophy.
  • Society for Evidence-Based Gender Medicine(link): Somehow the gender-affirming model of care for children, adolescents and young-adults is not safe, ethical and evidence-based. Cherry picks the studies so that authors can build their own narrative.

Alien aficionados[edit]

  • UFO Evidence(link): There's plenty of 'evidence' to check out here.
  • Universe People(link): The seizure-inducing webshite of the eponymous Czech UFO cult. Slide upon slide of incomprehensible new-agey rambling about angels, Jesus, love and saurians. Could give Time Cube a run for its money.
  • ZetaTalk(link): Nancy Lieder is a loopy channeler who hears aliens talking to her in her head.

References[edit]

  1. DrStella Immanuel (May 16, 2015). [1]. YouTube".
  2. Psychology: Hoodwinked By The Devil, By Christopher J.E. Johnson, July 3rd, 2019, Creation Liberty Evangelism
  3. The Atheist's 'No False Scotsman' Fallacy by Christopher J.E. Johnson, February 23, 2017, Creation Liberty Evangelism
  4. Jeffrey wolynski on YouTube.