Voodoo Science - Definition and Overview

Voodoo Science, another term for pseudoscience, was popularized in a book of the same title (ISBN 0195147103) written in 2001 by Robert L. Park.

Park, a physics professor and outspoken scientific skeptic, outlines his seven warning signs that a claim may be pseudoscientific and analyzes beliefs in popular culture and the media with a skeptical eye.

The term has been used by other authors, but it is most closely associated with Robert L. Park.

Park's seven warning signs are:

1. The discoverer makes his claim directly to the popular media, rather than to fellow scientists.
2. The discoverer claims that a conspiracy is trying to suppress the discovery.
3. The claimed effect is so weak that it can hardly be distinguished from noise.
4. Anecdotal evidence is used to back up the claim.
5. Ancient beliefs are cited in support of the new claim.
6. The discoverer or discoverers work in isolation from the mainstream scientific community.
7. The discovery requires a change in the understanding of the fundamental laws of nature.

See also

• Robert L. Park
• Pseudoscience
• Skepticism
• Richard Dawkins
• Scientific skepticism