Beware of Bad Science

As a science teacher I understand what science is. Just as importantly, I understand what it is not.

Science is the study of natural laws and how they work. The application of science to everyday life is called technology. Although pure science can be too cryptic for some people's taste or understanding, they know that if something is "scientific" it carries a label of validity.

That's why the proliferation of bad science can be very misleading, even dangerous. What I call "bad science" is the misrepresentation of staunchly unscientific ideas, devices, and entertainment products as being derived from scientific principles. At the very least, it can mislead people into buying into old wives' tales, which in turn might cause people to behave in a manner that is unwarranted for the situation.

For example, how often as a child did you hear your mother tell you in the wintertime, "Bundle up! You'll catch cold!" Or, "Don't go out with wet hair; you'll get pneumonia!" That is bad science. There is not a shred of scientific evidence that being cold will give you a cold, or that going outside with wet hair will do any more harm than make you uncomfortable. Colds and pneumonia are caused by germs, not discomfort.

Another example of bad science is the so-called psychics or tarot card readers, especially those who advertise their services on TV. They make a living off the gullible by pretending that their "gifts" are somehow tied to scientific principles.

Horoscopes can certainly be labeled as bad science. They sound scientific, because they depend on complicated formulas dealing with the position of the planets and the moon. But it's all quite bogus. Real science tells us that there is no force of nature that emanates from a planet that is strong enough to have any effect on the personality traits of a person being born.

Once upon a time, people always planted their gardens using the signs of the moon. The phases of the moon, and what constellation it was in, supposedly had an effect on how well the crops would grow. Some old-fashioned gardeners still use moon signs when planting. Scientifically, though, I assure you that those turnip seeds or onion sets have not a clue what phase the moon is in when they're planted.

One of the worst offenders of real science, and the best example of bad science, is creationism and its cousin, intelligent design. Its proponents would actually like for it to be taught in schools as real science. But there is nothing scientific about it. It is, in fact, the opposite of true science because of the manner in which it was developed, going completely against the scientific method of inductive reasoning.

Superstitions are also bad science. There are all kinds of superstitions, ranging from black cats to broken mirrors. Good luck charms and bad luck oracles are all examples of bad science.

Horoscopes and psychic readings might be fun and entertaining, as long as you understand that their value lies only in the entertainment they provide, not in their validity. And old wives' tales are best left to old wives. They should be taken with a grain of salt. When making decisions based on science, the best advice to follow is to make certain you're not dealing in bad science.