Curated category
Pseudoscience
- Alternative medicineIn 1992, the United States National Institutes of Health established an office to study alternative medicine. This agency later became known as the National…
- ParapsychologyIn 1889, the German philosopher Max Dessoir coined a new word to describe the study of mental phenomena that lay beyond standard psychology.
- ParanormalThe word paranormal has existed in the English language since at least 1920. It consists of two parts: para and normal. The definition implies that the…
- PseudoscienceIn 1843, French physiologist François Magendie labeled phrenology a pseudo-science of the present day. This early label marked the beginning of a long…
- AcupunctureThe earliest documented system of diagnosis and treatment for acupuncture appeared in the Inner Classic of Huang Di around 100 BC.
- AstrologyMarkings on bones and cave walls from 25,000 years ago show early humans noting lunar cycles to predict seasonal changes.
- AyurvedaThe Hindu deity Dhanvantari stands as the god associated with Ayurveda, according to ancient tradition. This figure is described as an avatar of Vishnu who…
- Flat EarthIn the 6th century BC, Babylonian scribes carved a world map known as Imago Mundi onto clay. This artifact depicts a flat disk floating in an ocean called…
- LysenkoismIn 1923, Ivan Pavlov announced that conditioned reflexes could be inherited in mice. Soviet ideologists ignored his later withdrawal of this claim and used…
- Energy (esotericism)The ancient Egyptians named this vital essence ka, a force that sustained life and represented a person's spiritual double.