Bourgeois Pseudoscience

Short description: Term

Bourgeois pseudoscience (Russian: Буржуазная лженаука) was a term of condemnation in the Soviet Union for certain scientific disciplines that were deemed unacceptable from an ideological point of view^[1]^[2] due to their incompatibility with Marxism–Leninism. For example, genetics was not acceptable due to the role of random mutations of an individual organism in evolution, which was perceived as incompatible with the "universal laws of history" that applied to masses universally, as postulated by the Marxist ideology.^[3] At various times pronounced "bourgeois pseudosciences" were: genetics,^{[notes 1]} cybernetics, quantum physics, theory of relativity, sociology and particular directions in comparative linguistics (Japhetic theory). This attitude was most prevalent during the rule of Joseph Stalin .

Notably, the term was not used by Stalin himself, who rejected the notion that science can have a class nature. Stalin removed all mention of “bourgeois biology” from Trofim Lysenko’s report, The State of Biology in the Soviet Union, and in the margin next to the statement that “any science is based on class” Stalin wrote, “Ha-ha-ha!! And what about mathematics? Or Darwinism?”^[4] The term was mostly used by Stalinist philosophers, such as Mark Moisevich Rosenthal and Pavel Yudin, who use it in the 1951 and 1954 editions of their Short Philosophical Dictionary: "Eugenics is a bourgeois pseudoscience",^[5] "Weismannism-Morganism - bourgeois pseudoscience, designed to justify capitalism".^[6]

Psychology was declared "bourgeois pseudoscience" in People's Republic of China during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).^[7] Sociology was banned in PRC in 1952,^[8] and it remained banned for over 30 years.^[9]

Notes

↑ See Lysenkoism and its impact in the other countries of the Soviet Bloc

References

↑ Loren R. Graham (2004) Science in Russia and the Soviet Union. A Short History. Series: Cambridge Studies in the History of Science. Cambridge University Press. ISBN:978-0-521-28789-0.^{[page needed]}
↑ Mark Walker (2002) Science and Ideology. A Comparative History. Series: Routledge Studies in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Routledge. ISBN:978-0-415-27122-6.^{[page needed]}
↑ "Karl Kautsky: Nature and Society (1929)". https://www.marxists.org/archive/kautsky/1929/12/naturesoc.htm.
↑ Liu, Yongsheng; Li, Baoyin; Wang, Qinglian (September 2009). "Science and politics". EMBO Reports 10 (9): 938–939. doi:10.1038/embor.2009.198. PMID 19721459.
↑ "Евгеника". https://filslov.ru/130-evgenika.html.
↑ "Вейсманизм - морганизм". https://filslov.ru/63-vejsmanizm-morganizm.html.
↑ Wang, Zhong-Ming (January 1993). "Psychology in China: A Review Dedicated to Li Chen". Annual Review of Psychology 44 (1): 87–116. doi:10.1146/annurev.ps.44.020193.000511.
↑ Feuchtwang, Stephan; Bruckermann, Charlotte (13 July 2016). Anthropology Of China, The: China As Ethnographic And Theoretical Critique. World Scientific Publishing Company. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-78326-985-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=A5VIDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA22.
↑ Li, Cheng (1 October 2010). China's Emerging Middle Class: Beyond Economic Transformation. Brookings Institution Press. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-8157-0433-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=t06DB0lUAZUC&pg=PA62.

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[4] See Lysenkoism and its impact in the other countries of the Soviet Bloc

[1] Loren R. Graham (2004) Science in Russia and the Soviet Union. A Short History. Series: Cambridge Studies in the History of Science. Cambridge University Press. ISBN:978-0-521-28789-0.^{[page needed]}

[2] Mark Walker (2002) Science and Ideology. A Comparative History. Series: Routledge Studies in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine. Routledge. ISBN:978-0-415-27122-6.^{[page needed]}

[3] "Karl Kautsky: Nature and Society (1929)". https://www.marxists.org/archive/kautsky/1929/12/naturesoc.htm.

[5] Liu, Yongsheng; Li, Baoyin; Wang, Qinglian (September 2009). "Science and politics". EMBO Reports 10 (9): 938–939. doi:10.1038/embor.2009.198. PMID 19721459.

[6] "Евгеника". https://filslov.ru/130-evgenika.html.

[7] "Вейсманизм - морганизм". https://filslov.ru/63-vejsmanizm-morganizm.html.

[8] Wang, Zhong-Ming (January 1993). "Psychology in China: A Review Dedicated to Li Chen". Annual Review of Psychology 44 (1): 87–116. doi:10.1146/annurev.ps.44.020193.000511.

[9] Feuchtwang, Stephan; Bruckermann, Charlotte (13 July 2016). Anthropology Of China, The: China As Ethnographic And Theoretical Critique. World Scientific Publishing Company. p. 22. ISBN 978-1-78326-985-3. https://books.google.com/books?id=A5VIDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA22.

[10] Li, Cheng (1 October 2010). China's Emerging Middle Class: Beyond Economic Transformation. Brookings Institution Press. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-8157-0433-1. https://books.google.com/books?id=t06DB0lUAZUC&pg=PA62.

v t e Lysenkoism
Lysenkoists	Trofim Lysenko Nikita Khrushchev Joseph Stalin VASKhNIL
Dissidents	Wacław Gajewski Tan Jiazhen Georgii Karpechenko Zhores Medvedev Georgii Nadson Nikolai Vavilov
Concepts	Heredity Heritability Hybridization Inheritance of acquired characteristics Lamarckism Mendelian inheritance Vernalization
Soviet policies	Bourgeois pseudoscience Collectivization in the Soviet Union Pavlovian session Socialist realism Suppressed research in the Soviet Union Wrecking Politicization of science
Book

v t e Pseudoscience
Terminology	Cargo cult science Charlatan Crank Fringe theory Fringe science Pseudoarchaeology Pseudohistory Junk science Paranormal Pathological science Quackery Snake oil Superseded scientific theory True-believer syndrome Voodoo Science
Topics characterized as pseudoscience	2012 phenomenon Acupuncture Adrenal fatigue Alchemy Alternative medicine Ancient astronauts Anthroposophic medicine Applied kinesiology Aquatic ape hypothesis Astrology Bates method Biodynamic agriculture Bloodletting Body memory Catastrophism Chiropractic Chromotherapy Conspiracy theory 9/11 conspiracy theories Chemtrail conspiracy theory Climate change denial Moon landing conspiracy theories Conversion therapy Creation science Cryonics Cryptozoology Crystal healing Detoxification Colon cleansing Dianetics Doctrine of signatures Doktor Koster's Antigaspills Dowsing Ear candling Electromagnetic hypersensitivity Electronic voice phenomenon Eugenics Facilitated communication Feng shui Flat Earth theory Germ theory denialism Graphology HIV/AIDS denialism Hollow Earth theory Homeopathy Humorism Indigo children Intelligent design Japhetic theory Levitation Lunar effect Lysenkoism Magnet therapy Mediumship Naturopathy Nazi archaeology Nibiru cataclysm Numerology Orgone Palmistry Perpetual motion Phrenology Polygraph Primal therapy Pseudoarchaeology Pseudohistory Genocide denial Historical negationism Holocaust denial Pseudoscientific metrology Psychohistory Quantum mysticism Rapid prompting method Recovered-memory therapy Reiki Scientific racism Aryan race Melanin theory Trepanning Ufology Vertebral subluxation Voice stress analysis Water memory Cowpathy
Promoters of pseudoscience	Andrew Wakefield Deepak Chopra Gaia, Inc. Goop (company) Jenny McCarthy Mehmet Oz William Donald Kelley
Related topics	Bourgeois pseudoscience Demarcation problem Scientific method Suppressed research in the Soviet Union Traditional medicine
Resources	Committee for Skeptical Inquiry Cults of Unreason Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science Quackwatch JREF The Psychology of the Occult The Ragged Edge of Science The Skeptic Encyclopedia of Pseudoscience Skeptical Inquirer The Skeptic's Dictionary
List of topics characterized as pseudoscience

Bourgeois Pseudoscience

See also

Notes

References