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 a freelance writer and science consultant. He has written on subjects as diverse as the physical sciences, military technology, British history, and the paranormal. His recent books include pocket-sized biographies of Newton and Einstein, an eye-opening study of the relationship between pseudoscience and science fiction, and Destination Mars and Cosmic Impact in the Hot Science series.
Steven Crossley is a multi-Earphones Award winner and twice-nominated Audie finalist who has narrated over two-hundred audiobooks. He graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London and has established an acting career on both sides of the Atlantic in theatre, television, film, and radio drama. A member of the internationally acclaimed company Complicite, he has performed with distinguished companies in New York and London.
