Reviews in History features an interesting debate this week on the subject of pseudohistory, with Douglas Allchin reviewing Ron Fritze’s new book Invented Knowledge: False History, Fake Science and Pseudo-religions.
In it Fritze details a variety of examples of how history has been twisted to suit the ends of conspiracy theorists and religious groups, but he and Allchin disagree over how these pseudohistories should be understood, with the reviewer accusing the author of epitomizing a ‘tradition that equates the right method with the right answer’. In response Fritze claims that the ‘ review generally has little to do with the book I wrote and much more to do with Allchin’s own ideas about the writing of the history of science’.
Read both review and response here and make up your own mind.