EAN: 9783319426044

SCIENCE AND FICTION PSEUDOSCIENCE AND SCIENCE...

Aliens  flying saucers  ESP  the Bermuda Triangle  antigravity ... are we talking about science
fiction or pseudoscience? Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference. Both pseudoscience
and science fiction (SF) are creative endeavours that have little in common with academic
science  beyond the superficial trappings of jargon and subject matter. The most obvious
difference between the two is that pseudoscience is presented as fact  not fiction. Yet like SF
and unlike real science  pseudoscience is driven by a desire to please an audience - in this
case  people who want to believe. This has led to significant cross-fertilization between the
two disciplines. SF authors often draw on real pseudoscientific theories to add verisimilitude
to their stories  while on other occasions pseudoscience takes its cue from SF - the symbiotic
relationship between ufology and Hollywood being a prime example of this. This engagingly
written  well researched and richly illustrated text explores a wide range of intriguing
similarities and differences between pseudoscience and the fictional science found in SF.
Andrew May has a degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and a PhD in astrophysics
from Manchester University. After many years in academia and the private sector  he now works
as a freelance writer and scientific consultant. He has written pocket biographies of Newton
and Einstein  as well as contributing to a number of popular science books. He has a lifelong
interest in science fiction  and has had several articles published in Fortean Times magazine

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