Enhancing Thinking Skills in
Science Context
Lesson 9
Pseudoscience
Activity 1
Read the following news:
The Fifth Great Invention of China
Activity 1
A man from China called Wong Hung Shing claimed that he
discovered the technology to convert water to fuel oil on 7
November 1983. He first prepared a chief formulation that
contained a small amount of alkyne (a compound that can
be burned) and then he added this chief formulation to a
large amount of water (ratio: 1/100,000 volume/volume).
A water-based fuel was claimed to be created that could
be a substitute for petrol and the cost was very cheap. He
said that the water-based fuel could be produced very
easily by a simple machine. One tonne of the chief
formulation could be produced in 20 minutes and one
tonne of the chief formulation could in turn produce 10
tonnes or more of the water-based fuel.
Activity 1
The mass media reported Wong’s invention and
he demonstrated his technology to some
famous scientists in China. Some presidents of
the universities and senior government officials
believed his invention doubt. Some mass media
claimed Wong’s invention as the Fifth Great
Invention of China.
Discussion questions:
1)
2)
3)
What was Wong’s invention?
What were the evidences (or what seemed
to be the evidences) that supported
Wong’s invention?
Were the evidences you read from the
news sufficient to make you believe in
Wong’s invention? If not, what other
evidences or information you would like to
get hold of before you can believe in
Wong’s invention?
1.What was Wong’s invention?
A very cheap water-based fuel produced
by adding small amount of alkyne to
large amount of water in the ratio
1:100,000 (V/V).
2. What were the evidences (or what seemed to be the
evidences) that supported Wong’s invention?
a. He demonstrated his technology to some famous
scientists in China. [It did not tell whether those
famous scientists believed his invention or not]
b. Some presidents of the universities and senior
government officials believed in his invention without a
doubt. [The newspaper only told us that there were
some people of high rank believed in Wong’s invention
but there were also some or many people who did not
believe in Wong’s invention]
c. Some mass media claimed Wong’s invention as the
Fifth Great Invention of China.
[We do not know the credibility of the mass media]
1. Were the evidences you read from the news sufficient to
make you believe in Wong’s invention? If not, what other
evidences or information you would like to get hold of
before you can believe in Wong’s invention?
a. Background of the “inventor” including his
qualifications and career;
b. His experimental procedure and exact formulation;
c. Can we repeat his experiment?
d. Can his invention be tested by famous universities,
the government or accredited organisations?
e. Any theoretical backup to his invention? Can we
use existent scientific concepts, theories,
principles or laws to explain the mechanism of his
invention?
Background of Wong Hung Shing
Wong was born in China and received 4year’s schooling. He had been a carpenter,
soldier and a bus driver before he
invented the water-based fuel.
Commercial Interests / Corruptions / Flaws?
Wong’s invention was widely reported in the mass
media. He flew to many places like Beijing,
Shanghai to demonstrate his invention. He was
then appointed the head of the newly established
Energy Institute of Hei Long Jiang (黑龍江). In
1987 he was commissioned RMB$600,000 (人民幣)
to produce the water-based fuel at He Bei(河北).
However, more and more people became
skeptical about his invention as time went by. He
was finally caught in 1987 and sentenced to 10year imprisonment.
Reflection questions:
1. Can you suggest some reasons why
people believed in Wong’s invention?
2. How do we know that Wong’s
“invention” is not real science? Explain
your answer.
Activity 2
Read the following advertisement found
in a newspaper:
SUPER
Water
SUPER Water
SUPER Company has a water filter that can convert tap
water to SUPER WATER. SUPER Water can change ordinary
water to smaller water clusters. These water clusters can
pass easily through ion channels of cells. Hence, water can
be absorbed faster than ordinary water molecules to keep
our skin moist. The pH of the SUPER WATER is 9.5.
Alkaline water can prevent people from constipation and
long-term diarrhea.
The dissolved oxygen content of SUPER WATER is also
greater than that of ordinary tap water. The higher
dissolved oxygen content can improve health because it
can increase the metabolic rate of cells and hence
enhancing the immunity of the body.
SUPER Water
SUPER WATER Filter was invented by an expert of
water science, Dr. Kwun Lee. He is the chairman
of International Research Laboratory on Water
Science since 2001.
The SUPER WATER filter has been accredited by
NSF. The cost of the SUPER WATER Filter was
HK$6,000. The filter core needs to be changed
every year and the cost is HK$500.
Change water into smaller
water molecule clusters
Alkaline water
SUPER
WATER
Accredited by NSF
Higher dissolved oxygen content
Customers
Scientists
Salesman of the SUPER COMPANY
Representatives from the Consumer Council
Task 1:
1. Do you believe the claim? Suppose you are
- a customer, explain whether you believe the claim of
SUPER Water filter or not.
- a salesman of the SUPER company, how will you promote
the SUPER Water filter to your customers?
- a scientist, tell people with scientific evidences or sound
reasons whether you support the claim of SUPER Water
filter or not.
- a representative from the Consumer Council, give advice
to the consumers on the claim of SUPER Company on
SUPER water.
Pseudoscience
knowledge
False
Pseudoscience
 a set of beliefs about the world
incorrectly thought to be scientific
 a certain method, theory, or practice
that claims to be scientific but fails to
adhere to the basic requirements of
the scientific method.
 more likely to be driven by ideological,
cultural, or commercial goals.
Characteristics of Pseudoscience
Claim not supported by scientific research
Contradict with existent
science knowledge, theories,
principles, laws…
Results not reproduced
or verified Unclear
experimental procedure
Characteristics of Pseudoscience
No concrete research findings
from other scientists in the
following days support the
claim or theory
The findings are
usually for commercial
use -selling
questionable products
for big profits
 The company uses a lot of scientific terms
(water clusters, ion channels, cells, pH,
dissolved oxygen content, metabolic rate,
immunity) to describe the special feature and
function of its filter. The use of such scientific
terms may make people think that the claim is
scientific. However, how true the claim is needs
further evidence or research findings from other
scientists. Now there is no further information
provided by the company.

The company told us that the product was
invented by an expert of water science and the
product has been accredited by an international
organization NSF. We may check more information
about the credibility of Dr Kwun Lee and the
International Research Laboratory on Water
Science by searching the internet. If Dr Kwun Lee
has little or no research publication in high
standard journals or the scale of the International
Research Laboratory on Water Science is very
small (say only one chairman and no other staff),
the evidence of the claim would be weak.
 Will the accreditation of NSF affect your
decision to believe the claim of SUPER WATER
Filter? (Remarks: NSF stands for U.S.
National Sanitation Foundation Standard) The
accreditation of NSF is irrelevant to the claim
of the product. Accreditation by NSF only
shows that the production of the product
matches a set of regulations set out by the
NSF. However, NSF is NOT an organisation
that is responsible to test or verify the claim
of the product.
Science
The claim is testable and
supported by scientific
research recorded in high
standard scientific journals.
Pseudoscience
The claim is not testable and
there is no support from
scientific research recorded in
high standard scientific
journals
The finding does not usually
The findings usually contradict
contradict existing scientific
existing scientific knowledge,
knowledge, theories, principles theories, principles and laws.
and laws.
The claim is not vague and the
experimental procedure is
clearly written and the result
can be reproduced by other
scientists
The claim uses vague language
and the result cannot be
reproduced or verified. The
exact procedure of the
experiment is not clearly
provided . Other people cannot
figure out what has been done
and how it was done.
Science
Pseudoscience
As time goes by, more
research findings from other
scientists give more
evidences to support the
claim or the theory.
No concrete research
findings from other scientists
in the following days support
the claim or the theory.
Pseudoscience explains away
or ignores falsifying evidence.
The product of the
application of the science
must be tested thoroughly
before marketing.
The findings are usually for
selling commercial products
with big profits.
Examples of Pseudoscience
Astrology
Reasons that Astrology is not considered as real science
are as follows:
 Astrological interpretations and prediction are not
based on science theories, principles or laws but from
astrological theories.
 Astrologers do not conduct carefully controlled
experiments to test astrological theories.
 Astrologers use vague language to explain and predict
things as well as to explain away wrong prediction.
Some personality descriptions are very general and fit
nearly everyone.
Reference:
 Gregory Bassham, et al., Critical
Thinking: A Students’ Introduction,
3rd ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill
Higher Education, 2008)
 《選擇》月刊第357期(「神奇」水機健康
聲稱備受質疑)