Why is pseudo-science being promoted in India?

The first thing that strikes you is people are unable to overcome the fact that what they believed all these years is not correct. When science got established in the human societies it challenged religion, culture, tradition, blind beliefs and what not. These things are used by some people to control and exploit others. When science tried to expose the truth, these people became very uncomfortable. So they are trying to use the same word science to still stay in the business.

They know real and genuine science cannot endorse their faulty way of thinking and life. So they started twisting science in such a way that suits their beliefs creating pseudo-science in the process. In a way they are using the word science to authenticate their beliefs, culture, tradition and religion.

Pseudo-science is only set up to look for evidence that supports its claims, science also accepts challenges and look for evidence that might prove it false.
If a scientific depiction of the world is wrong, the scientific outlook allows us to accept this and seek a different picture. The scientific position is aimed at locating and removing the false claims - something that doesn't happen in pseudo-sciences. Instead of starting with the facts and reaching a conclusion, the pseudo-science promoters first take a conclusion and try to cherry pick facts to support it. Of course, sometimes there will be no facts, so they have to 'invent' them (1).

Business people claim their merchandise like beauty and health-care products, detoxification techniques used in health clinics, teaching skills, food processing, alternative medicines and several other things were based on science and urge people to accept and buy them through various advertisements in the media.

'The nose ring worn by women here purifies the air we breathe in. They even kill the germs that try to enter the nose'.
'The toe rings are good for the female reproductive organs hence worn after marriage'.
These are not stories written by science journalists on All Fools day. These are tales we read on various media outlets that say our traditions and culture were built on 'solid' science.
We were forced to replace the word 'solid' with 'pseudo' after testing a few claims and the scientific community here is fighting this menace to protect the integrity of science now.

There are some vested interests behind these (3). One set is people who have an economic interest in creating pseudoscience. These are the kind of folks who peddle pseudo-medicine and create hoaxes against modern medicine, killing gullible people to make money.

Some business people want to sell things and make money. So you have things like magnetic belts, they claim, can cure any disease or health condition.

Then you have some God men (I need not mention their names) who try to sell their spirituality with pseudoscience. There are also the folks making money based on the number of clicks on viral pseudo-scientific videos. The other set is the religious/cultural warriors, and they seem to be particularly strong in India. Stretch and twist science until it can be made to validate some religious practice or claim cultural superiority. Most of the fake claims in circulation are the creation of a handful of sources with a deliberate agenda.

Then there are these professionals. Doctors, engineers, professors, teachers and scientists, instead of opposing this epidemic, often become part of it. They either do not realize the effect that the credibility that their support gives to such falsehoods, or do not care because it supports their religious and cultural identity. There are even academics who try to ride the current wave of cultural pseudoscience and try to get funds for absolutely ridiculous research.

Then we have journalists. Instead of doing their job of fact-checking everything they publish, they are gullible folks who will share anything they come across if it is impactful.

We have politicians who propagate it. I need not go into details, everybody knows about them.

When asked the question, "What is the most widely accepted pseudo-science?" , several scientists said these interesting things in a survey (2):

*Folk medicine of various sorts. The most widely accepted class of pseudo-scientific beliefs would probably be alternative "medicine" of all sorts. Homeopathy, "energy healing" or crystals etc.

*The most accepted single pseudo-scientific belief would probably be astrology.

*Psychology, evolutionary psychology, social theories, etc. any "science" that doesn't follow the scientific method. Any science with excessive use of probabilities instead of fundamental principles and laws. Psychiatry, sociology, women's studies, all valid philosophical subjects but not science. [ Science is when we have a defined hypothesis and a generally accepted method (experiment) to invalidate it. We can never fully validate a hypothesis because many explanations can be offered for the same phenomenon but we can set up a test so as to exclude an explanation.]

*In the USA " creation science " and ID must be the largest pseudosciences. Followed closely by both secular creationism and alternative medicine. The former is a social constructionist concept held in sociology, cultural anthropology and some of psychology. Some in sociology and cultural anthropology do not even hide their pseudo scientific tendencies and call for the abolition of the scientific method in their disciplines.

*Nutritional supplements and dieting products.

* 'Science' explaining traditional and cultural rituals.

Indians love science. They love it so much that they want everything they deal with to be authenticated by science.

We have illiteracy in large quantities. Science literacy is hardly evident here.

Most of the Indians don't know what real science is and how it works, because of faulty education system. Even highly qualified people. They lack even the most basic tools like critical thinking to analyse whether a scientific claim is factual. The real tragedy is the so called educated folks, right up to the level of academics accept pseudoscience without questioning. Doctors, engineers, post graduates in science, PhDs in science and science teachers, lecturers, professors, VCs of universities 're sharing such fundamentally wrong stuff that you wonder whether they have been to school at all.

Indian education system which is entirely built on rote learning and obedience instead of critical thinking and questioning which science commands, is the main culprit. When you are taught 'guru shakhat parahbrahma' or 'guru devo bhava', you fear questioning your guru. Whatever they teach you learn it, including pseudo-science, without giving a second thought to it. Compounded with the social structure which demands you to respect anyone elder to you or in a position of power above you, Indians grow up accepting fact after fact or fiction after fiction simply because it comes from the mouth of an authority figure without any questioning whatsoever. People care about only impact and not truth and share things. When they find a new thing which is coming from some 'authority', they just blindly accept, follow and share it.

Indians are very proud of their culture, traditions, religions, folklore etc... Okay, that is a good thing, not bad. But you feel proud to authenticate your background using science creating pseudo-science in the process! There lies the problem. And what is worse is they spread it like wild fire, feeling more proud doing so. I have seen this happening all over the net. If you try to stop this, you will be trolled, down-voted, thumbs-downed, ignored, attacked, and ripped apart (3).

This is completely opposite to how science works. We, in the world of science, treat everything we come across with skepticism, especially if genuine evidence doesn't follow it. Even if it is said or shown by the highest authority.

Who is responsible for this situation? Almost everybody here!

To find more details about pseudo-science, please click on the links below.

To understand how to identify genuine science, please read this article:

How to trust science stories: A guide for common man

Footnotes:

1. Love Science, not its impostors!
2. Be alert - Pseudo-Science and Anti-Science are on the Prowl!
3. Reasons for pseudo-science prevalence in this part of the world