Fringe science is scientific inquiry in an established field of study, which departs significantly from mainstream or orthodox theories, but which can be classified in the "fringes" of a credible mainstream academic discipline. Science (from the Latin scientia, meaning " Knowledge " or "knowing" is the effort to discover, and increase human understanding Inquiry or enquiry is any process that has the aim of augmenting Knowledge, resolving Doubt, or solving a Problem. An academic discipline or field of study is a branch of Knowledge which is taught or Researched at the college or university level Mainstream is generally the common current of Thought of the Majority. The word theory has many distinct meanings in different fields of Knowledge, depending on their methodologies and the context of discussion. An academic discipline or field of study is a branch of Knowledge which is taught or Researched at the college or university level ^[1]

While there are examples of mainstream scientists supporting maverick ideas within their own discipline of expertise, many fringe science ideas are advanced by individuals either from outside the field of science, or by scientists outside the mainstream of their own disciplines. Another use of the term is in describing fields of knowledge which are not, for lack of evidence or confirmability, recognized as bona fide sciences, though such fields are generally subsumed by the term pseudoscience. Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the

Contents 1 Description 1.1 Comparisons 2 Contemporary examples 3 Historical examples 4 Controversies 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External links

Description

Traditionally, the term "fringe science" is used to describe unusual theories and models of discovery that have their basis in established scientific principle. Scientific modelling is the process of generating abstract, conceptual, Graphical and or mathematical models. For the compulsory pre-trial disclosure of documents relevant to a case see Discovery (law Discovery Observations form acts of detecting Such theories may be advocated by a scientist who is recognized by the larger scientific community (typically due to publication of peer reviewed studies by the scientist), but this is not always the case. Peer review (also known as refereeing) is the process of subjecting an author's scholarly work research or Ideas to the scrutiny of others who are Mainstream science is likely to fail or make errors, but broadly speaking, a fringe science is in accord with accepted standards, and its character of resistance to change forms a mark of sound judgment as a reaction. ^[2]

Some of today's widely-held theories (such as plate tectonics) had their origins as fringe science, and were held in a negative opinion for decades. Plate tectonics (from Greek τέκτων tektōn "builder" or "mason" describes the large scale motions of Earth 's Lithosphere ^[3] It is noted that:

The confusion between science and pseudoscience, between honest scientific error and genuine scientific discovery, is not new, and it is a permanent feature of the scientific landscape [. Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the . . ] Acceptance of new science can come slowly. ^[4]

The categorical boundaries between fringe science and pseudoscience are widely disputed. Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the Fringe science is seen by most scientists as rational, but unlikely. Logic is the study of the principles of valid demonstration and Inference. A valid fringe science may avoid recognition by a scientific consensus for a variety of reasons, including incomplete or contradictory evidence. Scientific consensus is the collective judgement position and Opinion of the community of Scientists in a particular field of Science at a particular ^[5] Fringe science can be a protoscience that is not yet accepted by the vast majority of scientists. Protoscience refers to historical philosophical disciplines which existed prior to the development of Scientific method, which allowed them to develop into Science A fringe scientist may make observations through the scientific method. Scientific method refers to bodies of Techniques for investigating phenomena Whether a fringe science is accepted by mainstream scientists has largely been based on the quality of the discoveries made by a given fringe science.

The phrase "fringe science" is sometimes considered pejorative. Words and phrases are pejorative if they imply disapproval or contempt For example, Lyell D. Henry, Jr. wrote that "'fringe science' [is] a term also suggesting kookiness. "^[6] This belief may be inspired by eccentric, groundbreaking researchers on the fringe of science (colloquially known as mad scientists). In popular usage eccentricity refers to unusual or odd Behavior on the part of an individual A colloquialism is an expression not used in formal speech, writing or Paralinguistics.

Comparisons

Fringe science can be distinguished from other controversial fields of study as follows:

• Pseudoscience - Pseudoscience is notoriously lax in rigorous application of the scientific method, and reproducibility is typically a problem. Pseudoscience is defined as a body of knowledge methodology belief or practice that is claimed to be Scientific or made to appear scientific but does not adhere to the This is not so in fringe science.
• Junk science - Junk science is used to describe agenda-driven research that ignores certain standard methodologies and practices in an attempt to secure a given result from an experiment. Junk science is a term used in US political and legal disputes that brands an advocate's claims about scientific Data, Research, Fringe science, as in standard methodology, proceeds from theory to conclusion with no attempt to direct or coax the result.

Contemporary examples

Relatively recent fringe sciences include:

• Aubrey de Grey, featured in a 2006 60 Minutes special report, is working on advanced studies in human longevity. Dr Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey (born 20 April 1963 in London, England) is a British biomedical gerontologist Not to be confused with the BBC news magazine program Sixty Minutes (TV series. The word longevity is sometimes used as a synonym for " Life expectancy " in Demography. [2] Many mainstream scientists believe his research, especially Aubrey's view on the importance of nuclear (epi)mutations and his purported timeline for antiaging therapeutics, constitutes "fringe science. "[3] In an article released in a 2006 issue of the magazine Technology Review (part of a larger series), it was written that, "SENS [De Grey's hypothesis] is highly speculative. Technology Review is a magazine published by Technology Review Inc a media company owned by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Many of its proposals have not been reproduced, nor could they be reproduced with today's scientific knowledge and technology. Echoing Myhrvold, we might charitably say that de Grey's proposals exist in a kind of antechamber of science, where they wait (possibly in vain) for independent verification. SENS does not compel the assent of many knowledgeable scientists; but neither is it demonstrably wrong. "^[7]
• A nuclear fusion reaction called cold fusion occurring near room temperature and pressure was reported by Fleischmann and Pons in March 1989. Cold fusion, sometimes called low energy nuclear reactions (LENR or condensed matter nuclear science, is a set of effects reported in controversial laboratory experiments Numerous research efforts at the time attempted and were unable to replicate these results. ^[8] Since then, many scientists with a variety of credentials have contributed to the field or participated in the international conferences on cold fusion. In 2004, the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) decided to take another look at cold fusion to determine if their policies towards cold fusion should be altered due to new experimental evidence and so set up a panel on cold fusion.
• The theory of abiogenic petroleum origin holds that natural petroleum was formed from deep carbon deposits, perhaps dating to the formation of the Earth. The hypothesis of abiogenic petroleum origin is an alternative hypothesis to the biological origin theory which was popular in Russia and Ukraine between The ubiquity of hydrocarbons in the solar system is taken as evidence that there may be a great deal more petroleum on Earth than commonly thought, and that petroleum may originate from carbon-bearing fluids which migrate upward from the mantle. Abiogenic hypotheses saw a revival in the last half of the twentieth century by Russian and Ukrainian scientists, and more interest has been generated in the West after the publication in 1999 of The Deep Hot Biosphere by Thomas Gold. Gold's version of the hypothesis partly is based on the existence of a biosphere composed of thermophile bacteria in the earth's crust, which may explain the existence of certain biomarkers in extracted petroleum

Historical examples

Cases of historical note include:

• Wilhelm Reich's work with "orgone," a physical energy he claimed to have discovered, contributed to his alienation from the psychiatric community and eventually to his jailing. Wilhelm Reich ( March 24, 1897 – November 3, 1957) was an Austrian-American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst.
• Linus Pauling's belief that large amounts of vitamin C functioned as a panacea for a whole host of diseases, a claim that has largely been refuted. Linus Carl Pauling (February 28 1901 – August 19 1994 was an American Scientist, Peace activist, Author and educator. Vitamin C or L-ascorbate is an Essential nutrient for a large number of higher primate species a small number of other Mammalian The panacea (pænəˈsiːə named after the Greek goddess of healing Panacea, was supposed to be a remedy that would cure all Diseases and prolong life indefinitely
• In a rare example of fringe science becoming accepted by the mainstream, the theory of continental drift received little mainstream support until the late 1950s, but the theory today, now known as plate tectonics, has universal acceptance. Continental drift is the movement of the Earth 's Continents relative to each other Plate tectonics (from Greek τέκτων tektōn "builder" or "mason" describes the large scale motions of Earth 's Lithosphere

Controversies

Towards the end of the 20th century, religiously-inspired critics cited fringe science theories with limited support in the scientific community in attempts to classify as "controversial" entire fields of scientific inquiry (notably paleo-anthropology, human sexuality, evolution, geology, and paleontology) which contradicted literal or fundamentalist interpretation of various sacred texts. Paleoanthropology, which combines the disciplines of Paleontology and Physical anthropology, is the study of ancient humans as found in Fossil hominid Generally speaking human sexuality is how people experience and express themselves as sexual beings eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Palaeontology redirects here For the Scientific journal, see Palaeontology (journal. Describing ongoing debate and research within these fields as evidence of fundamental weaknesses or flaws, these critics argued that "controversies" left open a window for the plausibility of divine intervention and intelligent design. Intelligent ^[9][10][11]

However, epistemologists have noted these religiously-motivated efforts are typically rooted in misunderstandings of science: the scientific method is often regarded as an ongoing dialogue which aims for perpetual debate and inquiry, and not for inviolable conclusions. Epistemology (from Greek επιστήμη - episteme, "knowledge" + λόγος, " Logos " or theory of knowledge Scientific method refers to bodies of Techniques for investigating phenomena As Dr. Donald E. Simanek, physics professor at Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania asserts, "Too often speculative and tentative hypotheses of cutting edge science are treated as if they were scientific truths, and so accepted by a public eager for answers," ignorant of the fact that "As science progresses from ignorance to understanding it must pass through a transitionary phase of confusion and uncertainty. "^[12]

The media also play a role in the creation and propagation of the view that certain fields of science are "controversial". In "Optimising Public Understanding of Science: A Comparative Perspective" by Jan Nolin et al. , the authors claim that "From a media perspective it is evident that controversial science sells, not only because of its dramatic value but also since it is often connected to high-stake societal issues. "

See also

• Epistemology
• Protoscience
• List of minority-opinion scientific theories
• Pseudoscience
• List of pseudoscientific theories
• Scientific misconduct
• Obsolete scientific theory
• paradigm shift

Notes

• Friedlander, Micheal W. (February 1995). At the Fringes of Science. Boulder: Westview Press. Westview Press was founded in 1975 in Boulder, Colorado by Fred Praeger ISBN 0813322006.  

References

• Controversial Science: From Content to Contention by Thomas Brante et al.
• Communicating uncertainty: Media coverage of new and controversial science by Sharon Dunwoody et al.
• Friedlander, M. W. (1995). At the fringes of science. Boulder: Westview Press.
• Frazier K (1981). Paranormal Borderlands of Science Prometheus Books ISBN 0-87975-148-7
• CSICOP On-line: Scientifically Investigating Paranormal and Fringe Science Claims
• Dutch SI (1982). Notes on the Nature of Fringe Science. Journal of Geological Education
• Brown GE (1996). Environmental Science under Siege: Fringe Science and the 104th Congress.

Further reading

• MC Mousseau, Parapsychology: Science or Pseudo-Science? Journal of Scientific Exploration, 2003. scientificexploration. org.
• C de Jager, Science, Fringe Science, and Pseudo-Science. RAS Quarterly Journal V. 31, NO. 1/Mar. , 1990.
• Cooke, R. M. (1991). Experts in uncertainty: opinion and subjective probability in science. New York: Oxford University Press.
• SH Mauskopf, The Reception of Unconventional Science. Westview Press, 1979.
• Marcello Truzzi, The Perspective of Anomalistics. Marcello Truzzi ( September 6, 1935 — February 2, 2003) was a Professor of Sociology at Eastern Michigan University Anomalistics, Center for Scientific Anomalies Research.
• N. Ben-Yehuda, The politics and morality of deviance: moral panics, drug abuse, deviant science, and reversed stigmatization. SUNY series in deviance and social control. Albany: State University of New York Press 1990.

External links

• The National Health Museum / Activities exchange: Teaching Controversial Science Issues Through Law Related Education

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