A fallacy where someone dismisses arguments by labeling them "pseudoscience." The label functions as dismissal: if it's pseudoscience, it's not worth engaging. The fallacy lies in treating the label as refutation, ignoring that the boundary between science and pseudoscience is contested and that labeling something doesn't prove it wrong. It's argument from authority dressed as methodological critique—using "pseudoscience" as a magic word that makes arguments disappear.
"I presented evidence for alternative healing practices. Response: 'That's just pseudoscience.' That's Haec Est Pseudoscientia Fallacy—using the label as a dismissal, not engaging the evidence. Maybe it's pseudoscience; maybe it's legitimate but marginal. The label doesn't settle it. Calling it pseudoscience avoids looking at what I actually presented."
by Dumu The Void March 2, 2026
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