Science or Pseudoscience

Although many pundits attempt to draw a clear line separating the endeavors of science from those of "pseudoscience," Henry H. Bauer's Science or Pseudoscience, now in paperback, reveals that the distinction is both equivocal and misleading. Setting aside science's snowy mantle of truth, pseudoscience--or anomalistics--is presented not as the opposite of science, but as something that develops parallel to it. Using examples including polywater, ball lightning, and cold fusion, Bauer explores the diffuse and porous borders between orthodoxy and scientific heresy. Reminding us that geniuses are cranks who happen to be right while cranks may be geniuses who happen to be wrong, Science or Pseudoscience offers a measured and thoughtful assessment of many volatile debates.