Mechanisms of counterfeiting scientific facts : pseudoscience and pseudo-archaeology

The aim of this paper is to identify the mechanisms and techniques of counterfeiting science. Archaeological non-rational hypothesis seem to be very attractive for the public in spite of the fact that genuine information is widely available. I aim to verify how and why these pseudoscientific theories diffused in Polish reality, to what extent the reality influenced them and how the attitude towards such topics was changing in the second part of the 20th century. Materials for my analysis were articles about archaeology, published in Polish popular science journals in the years 1945-1999. Two different tendencies can be observed. Some authors - mostly renowned scientists - explain to the readers, why these theories are impossible to prove scientifically. On the other side, running parallel, there are many articles written by proponents of pseudo-archaeology. The most common mechanisms of counterfeiting facts are: presenting artifacts without archaeological context, distorting their scale, distorting the facts, leaving a reader in a state of uncertainty, rejection of rational argument, lack of skepticism, care and logic. Sometimes other alternatives are not checked, and the concepts of greater probability, but less attractive for the public, are not even considered, only in order to attach a reader's attention.