Pseudo-Science and Society in 19th-Century AmericaProgressive nineteenth century Americans believed firmly that human perfection could be achieved with the aid of modern science. To many, the science of that turbulent age appeared to offer bright new answers to life's age old questions. Such a climate, not surprisingly, fostered the growth of what we now view as "pseudo sciences"" disciplines delicately balancing a dubious inductive methodology with moral and spiritual concerns, disseminated with a