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Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience book cover

The Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience (2000), edited by Dr William F. Williams, "identifies, defines and explains terms and concepts related to the world of "almost science".^[1] It includes over 2000 entries, covering phenomena, people, events, topics places and associations.

[edit] Criteria for inclusion

Williams describes the criteria for inclusion:

Entries in the Encyclopedia do not necessarily note to which criteria an entry belongs.

[edit] Examples

The book includes a wide range of entries, including Astrology, Flat Earth Society, Phrenology and UFOlogy.

[edit] Contributors

Advisors and Consultants Jerome Clark, Board of Directors, J. Allen Hynek Center for UFO Studies, Chicago; Dr J. Gordon Melton, Research Specialist, Department of Religious Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara; Dr Carl Mitcham, Professor of Philosophy and of Science, Technology and Society, Pennsylvania State University; Dr Marcello Truzzi, Director Center for Scientific Anomalies Research and Professor of Sociology, Easter Michigan University.

Contributors Dr Daniel W. Conway, Dr Lisle W. Dalton, Dr R. G. Alex Dolby, Dr R. Shannon Duval, Honor C. Farrell, Jeff Frazier, Dr John E. McMillan, Dr J Gordon Melton, Terry O'Neill, Kenneth R. Shepherd, Steven Utley, Joyce Williams, Dr William F. Williams. ^[3]

[edit] About the editor

William F. Williams was formerly visiting Professor at the Department of Science, Technology, and Society at Pennsylvania State University, and was the William Weiss Fellow in Engineering from 1992 to 1993. He is also a Life Fellow at the University of Leeds, England. His publications include Are Science and Technology Neutral? (Butterworth), and he has served as editor in chief of the Science in a Social Context series (also for Butterworth). Williams resides in England.^[4]

[edit] Reviews

The Skeptical Inquirer's review of the book claims that, ".. errors, major and minor, can be found throughout.", "It reads more like a collection of opinions", "[needs to] contain material that is both correct and objective. Unfortunately, this tome fails on both counts."^[5]

[edit] Notes