how do scientists use the scientific method to distinguish science from pseudo-science?

Answer 1

Science is based on philosophical presuppositions, and the distinction between science and pseudo-science comes from those philosophical presuppositions.

Answer 2

If you make a claim and say an observation or experiment supports it, they try to repeat the observation or experiment, if things happen differently they're wrong.
If it's a theoretical thing, they see if it's in logical agreement with previous theories, if it's not then the conclusion may be right or wrong until you can observe something that decides the issue.
But sometimes people hope some ideas that haven't been proved, turn out to be right (like Poincare's conjecture).

Answer 3

One thing about a hypothesis in the scientific method is that it must be falsifiable. One should be able to think of an observation or a test that, if it came out the "wrong" way, would prove the hypothesis wrong. One aspect of pseudoscience is that it advances hypotheses that depend on religious or spiritual explanations that cannot be subjected to falsifications.

Answer 4

That's not what scientific method was designed for.
Scientific method compares two or three variables and applies statistical mathematics to determine the reliability of the outcomes.
And even studies done with sci method may be less significant if not done properly- not enough people, or variables that weren't defined, or a population was excluded.

Answer 5

Read The Pleasure Of Finding Things Out by Richard P. Feynman...

He calls these kinda stuff 'cargo-cult science' and explains things like these beautifully..

Answer 6

The scientific method presupposes that a theory is tested by applying rigorous objective testing standards to a hypothesis. If the test is proper and its methodology is proper, then the results should be easily replicated.