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7.
CRIMINALISTICS’ RESPONSE OF PSEUDOSCIENCE
Subject
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of the cognitive process can be every aspect because the added interpretations become
entities (reality) for themselves, so they can be studied as a) phenomenon, b) personal experience, c)
collective experience - public opinion phenomenon d) norms that help society to regulate aspects of the
phenomenon by which science deals. Criminalistics in that sense is science that give special attention to the
phenomena of the crime as a general phenomenon, the experiences associated with the offender, but also
those related to the application of criminal investigation and knowledge, as well as the sharing of that
experience, which is associated with customary, moral and other norms in the community and common life.
There is no simple determination of science. Some identify it as multitude of factual information
collected as a whole - in a scientific product, others identify it as information that is collected with objective
empirical research of the appear, i.e methodology. Others equate the science with special attitude it takes
toward reality, or the way of thinking. The proposed approaches in determining the criminalistics as a
science, are in function of illustration to the such conclusion. Systematization and categorization to the
factual reality, ie recognition of the laws in science appear as an unavoidable parameter and an element
without which it can not be concluded. But science, criminalistics as a science, can not be reduced to the
special rules in collecting and analyzing to the experiential lumber, gathering information, but it is a creative
model that creates, i.e upgrading the previous knowledge.
The development of each science and criminalistics as a relatively new science, may be endangered by
pseudoscience. Pseudoscience occurred as a result of the efforts of some attitudes and theories to be
presented as scientific, although they are not. Its theory can not be checked because it is over- framed, it is
not in accordance with the course of events and nothing in it can not be ousted. With the support to its
science, pseudo scientists serve with all tools to succeed in their claim to convert it in science. In this type of
researchers there is a sincere desire to reach scientific truth. For them it is specific, that they lack the
application and respect to procedures by which we can argue, promote or reject a certain position or wrong
theory. Pseudo scientists actually start from the desired conclusion then regurgitate and outline the procedure
with which they will confirm that conclusion. One should bear in mind that scientists
reject the theory that is
not confirmed by experiments, so pseudo scientists reject the results of the experiment that does not ensure
their favorite theory
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. A good illustration of this are the words of Sherlock Holmes, the popular detective
created by Arthur Conan Doyle: It is a huge mistake to draw conclusions before the facts are gathered.
Instead of modifying the facts, it is necessary to include them in theory, a theory should be changed as long
as it does not bring in
accordance with the facts
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.
Pseudo scientists hardly give up on favorite theory even if the research process has clear and visible
evidence that the theory should be rejected. Pseudoscience commonly use scientific methods, until the very
end when it comes to a conclusion, and thus there is an impression that the purpose of the research is to
prove the theory, and not to put the theory under screening. The main goal of pseudo scientific experiments
mainly is to organize representation of surveillance, and that is why it appears hiding the weaknesses and
weak effects, and for the experimenters, more important is to hide the shortcomings
of the tests than to try to
remove them.
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Resonant scientists cite various excuses that explain why science does not accept the results of their
work. The loudest are supporters of conspiracy theory, who usually believe that among all the world's
scientists there is organized conspiracy against them.
Criminalistics and its disciplines can become prey to pseudo-scientific approaches, which in the form
of "expert" and other approaches can become products for "security sector", which in recent years have
increasingly become the subject of profit interest and need of making money. This is why it is important the
research efforts to be aimed at creating access and practice of constant epistemological critique and
evaluating scientific and research results of criminalistics and its disciplines.
The appearance of pseudo scientific approach, particularly the emergence of forms of crime of
intellectual property-holder, especially of scientific fraud, defined as a plagiarism, opens the need of
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https://www.pravo.unizg.hr/_download/repository/1._Znanost_i_znanstveni_pristupi_%28doktorski_studij_komparativne_politike
%29.pdf [accessed 30.08.2014];
87
http://www.gradnis.net/nauka/nauka-i-pseudonauka-kako-ih-razlikovati/?wap [accessed 30.08.2014];
88
Ibidem... pg. 308
89
http://ateisti.com/voja/9nauka.pdf [-accession on 09.08.2014]; p. 309
8.09
.2014]; стр.309;