Pseudoscience: Past and present
Pseudoscience includes many branches, the most common of which are astrology, alchemy and numerology. Of course, these empirical teachings of the past have achieved certain results, but are now elements of the occult; for example, astrology gave rise to astronomy; alchemy gave rise to the development of chemistry and should be regarded as a historical stage of its development; numerology, which emerged during the boom of philosophy, mathematics and astrology, gave rise to some ideas of number theory.
The development of each of these fields of pseudoscience dates back centuries. So, for example, in III millennium B.C. in Mesopotamia the astrology of omens was already known: at this time the systematic astronomical observations were conducted, and the separate phenomena, such as occurrence of comets, solar and lunar eclipses, etc., were given astrological, predictive value.
The need of ancient people in such observations was obvious: sacralization of celestial bodies helped to solve everyday problems of that time, the worldview was based on them and the worldview was formed.
The emergence of alchemy in the 2nd century in the Alexandria Academy, which taught the "sacred secret art" of imitation of precious metals, is also explained by the need to solve practical problems. The discovery of the ability of mercury to form amalgam with metals (gold, silver, copper, etc.).
Amalgamation, in turn, contributed to the idea that mercury, like an omnipotent "elixir", is able to transform one metal into another, to give substances a different color.
Alchemy, which is engaged in the production of gold, preparation of drugs and drugs, "immortality pills", the study of the deep (occult) essence of substances and chemical reactions were called external alchemy. Alchemy gradually spread across the globe, and with time its main purposes were transformed as well.
The main one for alchemists in all cultures was the realization of qualitative changes inside the animated or inanimate object, its "rebirth" and transition to a new level.
The so-called inner alchemy appeared, which supposed the transmutation of the spirit, achievement of absolute health or even immortality with the help of certain exercises. And now pseudoscientific activity is based on natural desire of man to be healthy and attractive in his understanding.
This, in turn, has led to the commercialization of pseudoscience; numerous new and very effective methods of rapid and absolute safe treatment are offered, various medical services for the treatment of serious diseases (cancer, drug addiction, etc.), for getting rid of excess weight, for preventing hair loss, etc. are introduced.
This is a fairly frequent phenomenon of modern reality. But there are some phenomena that we probably don't hear about on TV every day. They cannot be scientifically proven, neither physics, nor mathematics, nor cosmologists can explain their origins, and yet they do exist.
To be continued in the next part https://zen.yandex.ru/media/id/5d9330af8600e100b06bbabe/pseudoscience-pros-and-cons-part-5-5d94fa59bd639600b19cb0c4