Philippine E-Journals

The Pseudoscientific Characteristic of Traditional and Alternative Medicines

Jonas Robert L. Miranda

 

Abstract:

This paper exposes the pseudoscientific characteristic as well the moral issue of traditional and alternative medicines in the Philippines by employing philosophical critical inquiry. Critical philosophical inquiry questions reality, looks for contradictions and is change or action-oriented. Specifically, this paper answers the following questions: ‘How traditional and alternative medicines are perceived and received by Filipinos? ’‘Do traditional and alternative medicines fall under the category pseudoscientific using the Falsifiability Theory of Karl Popper?’ and ‘What are the underlying moral issues regarding the pseudoscientific characteristic of traditional and alternative medicines? Discussions like these are necessary in order to detect fallacies, especially, in how traditional and alternative medicine information is communicated through product advertising, practices and the media, which is significant for consumers in making right decisions.