[WikiEN-l] SPOV threatens NPOV

Mon Dec 12 21:00:43 UTC 2005

--- Guettarda <guettarda at gmail.com> wrote:
> No, not really - pseudoscience is a term for
> something which adopts the
> appearances of the scientific method, and claims to
be scientific, without
> actually using the scientific method.  

This is rather well stated, and perhaps my question
was a bit oblique. The point really goes to the issue
of how the term 'pseudoscience' may have, outside of a
qualified statement ("scientists think ID is
pseudoscience" (1)), have gained undue use, due to our
strong science-oriented contingency. 

Read logically, (1) is not much different than saying
'apple lovers think pears are at best pseudo-apples.'
The distinctions between terms are always arbitrary
and meaningful only in context. In the context of
Wikipedia articles and the terms we tend to use, the
term 'pseudoscience' is only meaningful in the science
context. IMHO. There are areas where relatively
neutral and objective terms have been deprecated
because they carry pejorative use.

> The difference between science and
> pseudoscience is fairly clear. It isn't > really an
expression of an
> opinion. If something can be objectively described
as science or pseudoscience, then it isn't POV.  

No, I respectfully disagree. The word isn't a
designation, because it defers to scientific
rationality - ie. a particular view. Hence it IS a POV
term, albeit one which is legitimate to state in the
context of conflicts between science (rational
methodology) and everything else. In short: 

 pseudoscience is a term from the language of  
 science, and is not a neutral term in the 
 context of debates where science is a partisan 
 party. 

Fred linked to Larry Sanger's quotes on the subject,
which were quite to the point. But the NPOV
pseudoscience section seems written from the POV of a
disgruntled SPOV devotee "there was no consensus"
instead of "was flat out rejected as contradictory
with NPOV" but thats probably just nitpicking.

Stevertigo

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