Pseudoscience in Computing

Justin Zobel

School of CS&IT, RMIT University

Date and time: 11.30am-12.30pm, Friday 23rd April, 2004

Venue: 10.11.04

Chair: James Harland

Abstract:

Many pseudosciences are well-known and widely discussed, from astrology and ESP to iridology and aromatherapy. In the traditional sciences, the activities of pseudoscientists are subject to criticism and exposure. For example, because medical pseudoscience is both big business and a proven health risk, there are good reasons for scientists to take a stand against charlatans and provide the kind of guidance that the general public should expect of academia. In this talk, I introduce some perspectives on pseudoscience and consider whether it is an aspect of computer science that should concern us. Reviewing examples of pseudoscience in the field of computing poses some interesting questions. What impact does this pseudoscience have? What risks does it pose? Should we simply ignore it, or should we take action when pseudoscientific theories are put forward?

About the speaker:

Justin Zobel is a Professor in the School of Computer Science and Information Technology at RMIT, where he leads the Data Engineering discipline. In the research community, he is best known for his role in the development of algorithms for efficient text retrieval. His expertise is in search engines, algorithms and data structures, bioinformatic retrieval systems, applications of compression, and research methods.

Seminars are free and open to the general public. No booking is necessary.

If you are interested in giving a presentation in this seminar series, or to make suggestions for speakers, please contact James Harland, the seminar co-ordinator.