Pseudoscience and Science Fiction
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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 endeavors 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 and well researched audiobook explores a wide range of intriguing similarities and differences between pseudoscience and the fictional science found in SF.
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Andrew May is an author who has been working as a freelance writer and defense consultant. He obtained a PhD in astrophysics from the University of Manchester and is an experienced professional with a career spanning academia, government, and private industry. He has written both authoritatively and entertainingly on the physical sciences, military technology, British history, science fiction, New Age beliefs, and the paranormal. He is the author of several titles, including Pseudoscience and Science Fiction, The Telescopic Tourist’s Guide to the Moon, and Rockets and Ray Guns: The Sci-Fi Science of the Cold War, among others.
Steven Crossley has won more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and was nominated for the prestigious Audie Award. He has appeared in numerous theater, television, film, and radio dramas.
