Scientific Method Pataphysics

A pataphysical approach to the scientific method: applying the method to objects that cannot be observed, to hypotheses that cannot be tested, or to experiments that cannot be performed. For example, designing a double‑blind trial for the efficacy of prayer, or a controlled study of the effects of a colour that doesn’t exist. Scientific method pataphysics highlights the method’s dependence on a world that cooperates, and it imagines what the method would look like in worlds that do not.

Scientific Method Pataphysics Example: “He wrote a grant proposal to study the effect of invisible ink on reading comprehension. The method was perfect; the subject was pataphysical.”

Scientific Consensus Pataphysics

The pataphysical study of consensus where the consensus is about imaginary facts, or where the community itself is imaginary. For example, “99% of dragons agree that fire‑breathing is hereditary,” or “the International Society for Round Squares has reached consensus on the definition of a corner.” Scientific consensus pataphysics parodies the appeal to consensus by showing how easily a consensus can be fabricated or how it can exist without any real referent. It is a warning against treating consensus as truth.

Example: “He cited ‘a consensus of leading astrologers’ to support his prediction. Scientific consensus pataphysics: using the form of authority to support absurdity.”

Scientific Method Pataphysics by Abzugal May 22, 2026