{"id":91,"date":"2016-12-18T16:50:11","date_gmt":"2016-12-18T16:50:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/andrew-may.com\/blog\/?p=91"},"modified":"2016-12-18T16:50:11","modified_gmt":"2016-12-18T16:50:11","slug":"pseudoscience-and-science-fiction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/andrew-may.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/pseudoscience-and-science-fiction\/","title":{"rendered":"Pseudoscience and Science Fiction"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nMy most recent book was published by Springer a couple of months ago, although for some reason they’ve given it a copyright date of 2017. It’s called Pseudoscience and Science Fiction<\/em> and it’s part of their ongoing Science and Fiction<\/a> series. Aimed at \u201cscience buffs, scientists and science fiction fans\u201d, the series encompasses both fiction and non-fiction, with the latter primarily looking at how \u201creal\u201d science is featured in science fiction.<\/p>\n

But what about the pseudoscience in science fiction? I felt there was a gap in the market that needed to be filled, particularly given the numerous overlaps between pseudoscientific beliefs and popular SF tropes. I had great fun researching this, and Pseudoscience and Science Fiction<\/em> is the result. Here is the publisher\u2019s blurb (I had nothing to do with the last paragraph!):<\/p>\n

Aliens, flying saucers, ESP, the Bermuda Triangle, antigravity \u2026 are we talking about science fiction or pseudoscience? Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference.<\/p>\n

Both pseudoscience and science fiction 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 \u2013 in this case, people who \u201cwant to believe\u201d. This has led to significant cross-fertilization between the two disciplines. SF authors often draw on \u201creal\u201d pseudoscientific theories to add verisimilitude to their stories, while on other occasions pseudoscience takes its cue from SF \u2013 the symbiotic relationship between ufology and Hollywood being a prime example of this.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Pseudoscience and Science Fiction<\/em> has its own page<\/a> on the main website, but here are some Amazon links (the “look inside” preview is particularly generous, if you want to get a flavour of the content and style of the book):<\/p>\n