In this salon, <a href="https://twitter.com/missrachelreads">Rachel Tan</a> leads a discussion on the book titled On the Fringe: Where Science Meets Pseudoscience by Michael D. Gordin.

In this book, the author attempts to explore the philosophical and historical attempts of how something is relegated to the realm of pseudoscience.

An assortment of topics studied and analysed include age-old ones such as astrology and alchemy, and modern ones like the flat-earth theory, aliens, cryptozoology, and creationism.

Join us as we explore different questions such as:
<ul>
 	<li>What is pseudoscience?</li>
 	<li>Where do we draw the line between science and pseudoscience?</li>
 	<li>How does Karl Popper's method of falsification contribute to the problem?</li>
 	<li>Why do people believe in conspiracy theories?</li>
 	<li>What can be done?</li>
</ul>
With the advent of the Internet, misinformation on the topic of science can sometimes spread like wildfire.

This is an attempt to figure out how to navigate these spaces in conversations with others as we delve deep into the history behind how pseudoscience was defined and propagated.

Let us come together for an open and respectful conversation on this intriguing and controversial topic.

Reading List
<ul>
 	<li>On the Fringe by Michael D. Gordin (An easy-to-read, slim volume of 101 pages)</li>
 	<li><a href="https://www.sciencenews.org/article/on-the-fringe-book-science-pseudoscience">Book Review of On The Fringe</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://staff.washington.edu/lynnhank/Popper-1.pdf">Science as Falsification by Karl Popper</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/science/weird-science/obama-ufo-videos-dont-know-exactly-are-rcna963">Obama on UFO videos</a></li>
 	<li><a href="https://youtu.be/fJU1C7nt9Iw">YouTube video featuring Michael Gordin in an interview</a></li>
</ul>
***

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