In the scientific world, the main thing is the reliability and proof of facts. Without this, knowledge can hardly be called scientific, contributing to the progress of mankind. But, you must admit, it is difficult for a simple layman to determine whether the information about achievement, discovery, development, which he met in literature, in the media, is proven and reliable. Checks of such a plan are already the prerogative of specialists. In Russia, they are united in a commission to combat pseudoscience and falsification. We’ll tell you about it today.
What is it?
The Commission to Combat Pseudoscience and the Falsification of Scientific Research is a coordinating and scientific institution established under the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Russian Academy of Sciences). It has been leading its history since 1998. Then the commission was created on the initiative of Academician V. Ginzburg.
The main areas of work of the commission to combat pseudoscience are as follows:
- Development of recommendations to the Presidium of the Russian Academy of Sciences on controversial issues in science.
- Public criticism of pseudoscientific (pseudoscientific) information and various beliefs in the paranormal. In particular, this is ufology, astrology, alternative medicine, the pseudo-history of mankind, the doctrine of torsion fields, religious trends in the scientific community.
- The commission criticizes the “teachings” about energy sources, power and other fields whose existence has not been scientifically proven. These are nuclear cold fusion, torsion fields, bioenergyinformatics, antigravity and so on.
Commission scope
The initial focus of the commission on the fight against pseudoscience and falsification of research in this area was the examination of those developments and theories whose authors claimed state funding. Thus, the Russian Academy of Sciences ruled out the possibility of embezzlement by falsifiers and scammers of funds from the Russian state treasury.
But the ultimate goal of the organization is to completely supplant false discoveries and pseudo-theories from scientific life. The expert groups in the commission consider new facts from the world of science and give their opinion on their reliability. The founders of this council at the RAS believe that getting the approval of the commission is a matter of principle for every scientist. Criticism from experts is the recognition of the failure of the pseudoscientific school.
Beginning of work
The work of the RAS Commission on Pseudoscience began on March 16, 1999 at a meeting of the Academy Presidium. He (the presidium) approved its composition, staff, and the order of activity. The chairman was appointed Kruglyakov Eduard Pavlovich. At the time of creation in the ranks of the commission there were only 12 participants. Already in 2008 their number was 42. These are corresponding members and academicians of the Russian Academy of Sciences, doctors of sciences, specialists conducting non-academic research.
I must say that the leadership of the RAS has repeatedly come forward with the initiative to create such a commission long before 1999. For example, the 1992 event, when RF President B.N. Yeltsin allocated 150 million rubles from the state budget to develop the theory of energy release from stone, which was later recognized as unscientific by scientists, was the basis for his speech.
Commission composition
As we have already said, the initial composition of the pseudo-scientific commission of the RAS was 12 members. The second composition was approved in 2005. It has been expanded to 41 members.
In 2012, after the death of Eduard Nikolaevich Kruglyakov, the commission was headed by academician Yevgeny Alexandrov. He picked up a new composition, which was approved by the RAS in February next year. It included many personalities known to both the scientific world and the general public:
- J. Alferov, Nobel laureate.
- A. Sergeev, scientific editor of the popular publication Around the World, journalist.
- V. Surdin, astronomer, one of the famous popularizers of science.
- V. Lebedev, editor of the almost identical eponymous almanac "Lebed", Ph.D., known as a critic of pseudoscientific and paranormal theories.
- Yu. Gorny (Yashkov), an illusionist and a magician - his specific knowledge helps in the discovery of illusionism, of which there are many in pseudoscientific representations.
In July 2016, the composition of the commission against pseudoscience (public group) again underwent a change. This was due to the association of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences and the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences. As a result, the group of experts has increased due to the biomedical specialists.
As for the present, the commission against pseudoscience (faq scisne) has 59 experts. Six of them are included in its coordinating body - the bureau:
- Vlasov V.V., Doctor of Medical Sciences.
- Alferov Zh. I., Vice-President of the Russian Scientific Academy, Nobel Laureate in Physics.
- Polishchuk R.F., Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences.
- Rubakov V.A., academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
- Sadovsky M.V., Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
- Alexandrov E. B., Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The current chairman of the commission.
Publications, public appearances
The organization’s activity is open - everyone and anyone interested can get acquainted with it.
Since November 2006, a bulletin of the commission to combat pseudoscience has been published. You can find its electronic version in PDF format on the official website of the organization. The bulletin includes reasoning, scientific articles, speeches, research results of scientists who criticize pseudoscientific arguments and postulates, prove their impossibility. This information is about false discoveries in history, physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology, genetics and so on.
The memorandum of the commission on the fight against pseudoscience, issued in May 2016, is also popular. He denounced commercial testing for skin patterns on the palms of his hands. Based on the results of the examination, such tests were recognized as pseudoscientific, without any worthy basis.
Often the publications of members of the commission on the fight against pseudoscience can be found in the media, popular science print media, and so on.
Overseas Prototypes
The commission created by the Russian Academy of Sciences is not a panacea in the world. The organization has "brothers" around the world. These are the following institutions to combat pseudo-scientific theories and discoveries:
- "Association of Rationalists" in India.
- "Concerns about pseudoscience" in Korea.
- Network of anti-pseudo-scientific activities in Japan.
- "Bulgarian skeptics."
- "Initiative for the Development of Critical Thinking," based in Costa Rica.
- "Commission for the Study of Anomalous Phenomena" in Kazakhstan.
- "Paranormal Information Reliability Research Society" in Malta.
- "Committee for the scientific investigation of phenomena that are paranormal" in Belgium.
What is pseudoscience: interesting facts
To represent the specifics of the commission's work, we will take a closer look at its activities. What is pseudoscience? These are all statements, assumptions, theories and postulates that contradict the already proven scientific facts.
Why is it so important for counterfeiters and scammers to feel their involvement in science? This is precisely the area of knowledge that led us to civilization, what we see today, which has presented many benefits to humanity. The status of science in the modern world of innovation is very significant. It is the basis of planning, education, production. But the most important thing for a fraudster is financial grants are allocated for the development of many new scientific theories and technologies.
But the fight against pseudoscience is aimed not only at maintaining the state budget. First of all, it protects the dignity of real scientific knowledge, allows not to undermine the credibility of these discoveries and developments.
It is incorrect to assume that the erroneous assumptions of scientists belong to pseudoscience. It refers to those falsified developments that are consciously presented as scientific, for reliable. By malice or misunderstanding of its creator.
Unfortunately, the popularization of science both in Russia and around the world so far is not at the highest level. Education gaps can be dangerous for each of us. People sometimes give the last money for pseudoscientific panacea-dummies, harm their health with medical devices and "medicines", whose benefits are absolutely not proven by anyone.
The fight against pseudoscience - the Inquisition?
Could criticism of scientific discoveries give rise to what the experts think are false, the notorious "witch hunt"? For the Russian commission, this is out of the question. She does not interfere in the debates of scientists, processes occurring in the scientific world. The discoverer, whose work is not recognized by colleagues, there is no reason to fear criticism of the commission. But only in the case when he does not bring the problem to the public, far from the specifics of his activity, which is simply misleading.
The fight against pseudoscience is the fight against everything that is beyond the borders of the scientific world, but is trying to get into it fraudulently.
Many people wonder if the authority of the commission will be used to settle personal accounts. Everyone remembers the Soviet fate of cybernetics and genetics. Representatives of the commission argue that the repetition of historical errors in the modern world is ruled out. The Council of Experts, in its criticism, relies on the ideas of the entire scientific community, and not only on its own.
Problems in the work of the commission
The main problem is that experts cannot call a spade a spade. Neither pseudo-discovery is pseudoscientific, nor is its creator a falsifier. Russian law allows a fraudster to go to court with a complaint about an insult to honor and dignity, business reputation. And the judicial system defends such a plaintiff, no matter how significant the criticism of the members of the commission. Therefore, in order to avoid such incidents, they have to limit themselves only to general words.
How can each of us help the commission?
Any of us can contribute to the work of the commission on the fight against pseudoscience. It is very simple:
- Visit the official website of the association, join its community on Facebook.
- Regularly get acquainted with outgoing newsletters, disseminate this information on social networks, among friends and acquaintances.
- To inform the commission about specific pseudo-scientific facts, phenomena, publications that you encountered.
The Commission on the fight against pseudoscience is an organization that protects modern society from scammers, charlatans, and forgers who are trying to enter the scientific world. Such institutions operate not only in Russia, but throughout the civilized world.