Lecture

Science and Religion: Pseudo-Sciences and Alter-Sciences

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In course

HUM-436: Sciences and religions I

Le but de cet enseignement est de revenir sur les conditions (historiques mais aussi épistémologiques) qui ont permis aux sciences de prendre de l'autonomie par rapport à la religion. ...

Description

This lecture delves into the realm of pseudo-sciences, para-sciences, and alter-sciences, exploring their distinctions from true science. It discusses the historical context, the blurred lines between belief and conviction, and the ongoing struggle for recognition between orthodox and heterodox knowledge. The lecture also examines the impact of cognitive marketing strategies, the challenges of separating pseudo-sciences from real science, and the rise of alter-sciences. Through various examples like geocentrism and flat Earth theories, it highlights the dangers of distorting scientific results to fit personal beliefs. The lecture concludes by emphasizing the importance of critical thinking in evaluating such phenomena.

Instructor

Jean-François Bert

Teaching & PhD Past EPFL PhD Students as codirector Alina Volynskaya Courses Anthropology of belief HUM-382 This course is an introduction to the question of conspiracy theories especially in the field of science Darwin, religion and science HUM-365 This course takes the long history of opponents of Darwin and Darwinism (creationists, neo-creationists, supporters of intelligent design) to try to understand their strategies and arguments. Sciences and religions I HU

Official source

Related concepts (32)

Geocentric model

In astronomy, the geocentric model (also known as geocentrism, often exemplified specifically by the Ptolemaic system) is a superseded description of the Universe with Earth at the center. Under most geocentric models, the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets all orbit Earth. The geocentric model was the predominant description of the cosmos in many European ancient civilizations, such as those of Aristotle in Classical Greece and Ptolemy in Roman Egypt.

Marketing

Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emphasize in advertising; operation of advertising campaigns; attendance at trade shows and public events; design of products and packaging attractive to buyers; defining the terms of sale, such as price, discounts, warranty, and return policy; product placement in media or

Critical thinking

Critical thinking is the analysis of available facts, evidence, observations, and arguments in order to form a judgement by the application of rational, skeptical, and unbiased analyses and evaluation. The application of critical thinking includes self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective habits of the mind, thus a critical thinker is a person who practices the skills of critical thinking or has been trained and educated in its disciplines. Richard W.

Non-science

A non-science is an area of study that is not scientific, especially one that is not a natural science or a social science that is an object of scientific inquiry. In this model, history, art, and religion are all examples of non-sciences. Demarcation problem Since the 17th century, some writers have used the word science to exclude some areas of studies, such as the arts and the liberal arts. The word nonscience, to describe non-scientific academic disciplines, was first used in the middle of the 19th century.

Marketing communications

Marketing Communications (MC, marcom(s), marcomm(s) or just simply communications) refers to the use of different marketing channels and tools in combination. Marketing communication channels focus on how businesses communicate a message to its desired market, or the market in general. It is also in charge of the internal communications of the organization. Marketing communication tools include advertising, personal selling, direct marketing, sponsorship, communication, public relations, social media, customer journey and promotion.

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