Submissions:2025/Pseudoscience and Non-science
This submission has been noted and is pending review for WikiConference North America 2025.
Title:
- Pseudoscience and Non-science
Type of session:
- Lightning talk
Session theme(s):
- Credibility
Abstract:
Wikipedians, in their zeal for scientific rigor, sometimes come across topics that set off their pseudoscience-o-meter. The response is often a quick denouncement of unverified claims and lack of empirical research.
This talk offers an alternate lens - that of 'non-science' - which asks the question "is this a scientific claim?". For topics which are fundamentally non-scientific, the denouncement as pseudoscience can close the Wikipedian off to a wealth of knowledge and research that follows other lines of inquiry. Is the Eucharist, for example, best revealed as a pseudoscientific sham because wine can't possibly be turned into blood? or instead, is it best investigated in terms of its theological, sociological, or anthropological significance?
Through an exploration of non-science, the presenter hopes to start a discussion about what truly constitutes encyclopedic credibility. The overuse of pseudoscience as a label has the potential to turn Wikipedia into The Boy Who Cried Wolf, while an open view at the academic literature on a topic, scientific and non-scientific, allows us to act as a credible source for those seeking a wider scope of information.
Author name(s):
Wikimedia username(s):
Affiliated organization(s):
Estimated length of session
- 5 min
Will you be presenting remotely?
- I will present in-person
Okay to livestream?
- Livestreaming is okay
Previously presented?
- No
Special requests: