--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pseudoscience is like a virus. At low…" description: "\"Pseudoscience is like a virus. At low levels, it's no big deal, but when it reaches a certain threshold it becomes sickening.\" — Phil Plait" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/176/phil-plait-23490_big-deal_pseudoscience-is-like-a-virus-at-low-lev_1007099.png" --- # Pseudoscience is like a virus. At low levels, it's no big… ![“Pseudoscience is like a virus. At low levels, it's no big deal, but when it reaches a certain threshold it becomes sickening.” quote by Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/176/phil-plait-23490_big-deal_pseudoscience-is-like-a-virus-at-low-lev_1007099.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/176/phil-plait-23490_big-deal_pseudoscience-is-like-a-virus-at-low-lev_1007099.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/176/phil-plait-23490_big-deal_pseudoscience-is-like-a-virus-at-low-lev_1007099.png) > “Pseudoscience is like a virus. At low levels, it's no big deal, but when it reaches a certain threshold it becomes sickening.” [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pseudoscience spreads harmlessly in small amounts but becomes dangerous when it reaches a critical mass, corrupting belief systems. **In simple terms:** Small false ideas are okay; many become harmful. Key Takeaway Beware and challenge growing misinformation. Themes critical thinking science misinformation Mood cautious analytical Type educational warning When to use this quote - public health campaigns - education curricula - media literacy - policy making Key Concepts epidemiology of ideas cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - How do we detect early signs of harmful ideas? - What safeguards can limit their spread? A Different Perspective It may underestimate the subtle influence of low‑level pseudoscience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Pseudoscience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pseudoscience/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Sickening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sickening/) [Viruses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/viruses/) ## Related quotes > [Spiritual joy is devotion, it's like a virus you know? It's a benevolent virus, but it spreads. It's infectious. Ram Dass was like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/surya-das/spiritual-joy-is-devotion-it-s-like-a-virus-you-know-it-s-a/) [Surya Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/surya-das/) > [There are people who are just suicidal, regardless. They are built to self-destruct. It seems, in my family, like a virus that's resistant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-toews/there-are-people-who-are-just-suicidal-regardless-they-are-built-to/) [Miriam Toews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-toews/) > [One by one, I could find a house that somebody had restored properly, and then another one, and now it's like a virus. Everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-krisel/one-by-one-i-could-find-a-house-that-somebody-had-restored-properly/) William Krisel > [Sometimes, a word succeeds beyond the wildest dreams of its creators, like a virus sent into the world to infect common speech.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/sometimes-a-word-succeeds-beyond-the-wildest-dreams-of-its-creators/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) > [Ignorance is venomous and it murders the soul, spreading like a virus, running rampant, out of control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immortal-technique/ignorance-is-venomous-and-it-murders-the-soul-spreading-like-a-virus/) [Immortal Technique](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immortal-technique/) > [“We all inherit damage from the past. We spread it like a virus and don't generally think about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-norman-dewolf/we-all-inherit-damage-from-the-past-we-spread-it-like-a-virus-and-don/) Thomas Norman DeWolf > [“Fear, left unchecked, can spread like a virus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lish-mcbride/fear-left-unchecked-can-spread-like-a-virus/) [Lish McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lish-mcbride/) > [“An idea is like a virus. Resilient. Highly contagious. The smallest seed of an idea can grow. It can grow to define...or destroy you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/an-idea-is-like-a-virus-resilient-highly-contagious-the-smallest-seed/) [Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/) > [The joke is that U2's new record only looked like a virus. Enjoy mining bitcoins for me losers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/the-joke-is-that-u2-s-new-record-only-looked-like-a-virus-enjoy/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [To some degree, it seems like around the country people are just living life like there is no virus. And that's scary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-williams/to-some-degree-it-seems-like-around-the-country-people-are-just/) [Monty Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-williams/) > [Love is like a virus. It can happen to anybody at any time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/love-is-like-a-virus-it-can-happen-to-anybody-at-any-time/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [I wanted to build something that was a system - that was mechanical and would propagate itself like a virus. I needed a way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-birch/i-wanted-to-build-something-that-was-a-system-that-was-mechanical-and/) [Michael Birch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-birch/) > [“blood as well. The thing is, shit like this—well, it’s a virus you can’t ever get rid of. I feel myself failing. I feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-j-cole/blood-as-well-the-thing-is-shit-like-this-well-it-s-a-virus-you-can-t/) [Stevie J. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-j-cole/) > [Money is like any other virus: once it has rotted the soul of the person who houses it, it sets off in search of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/money-is-like-any-other-virus-once-it-has-rotted-the-soul-of-the/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [Religion is like a virus that affects the behaviour of its host in such a way as to propagate itself further.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-pritchard/religion-is-like-a-virus-that-affects-the-behaviour-of-its-host-in/) Jack Pritchard ## More by Phil Plait > [If you took every nuclear weapon ever built at the height of the Cold War, lumped them together and blew them up at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-plait/if-you-took-every-nuclear-weapon-ever-built-at-the-height-of-the-cold/) [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) > [Welcome to science. You’re gonna like it here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-plait/welcome-to-science-you-re-gonna-like-it-here/) [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) > [When you're dealing with the universe, ignorance can be deadly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-plait/when-you-re-dealing-with-the-universe-ignorance-can-be-deadly/) [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) > [You can experience the thrill of discovery, the incredible, visceral feeling of doing something no one has ever done before, see things no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-plait/you-can-experience-the-thrill-of-discovery-the-incredible-visceral/) [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) > [The difference between the dinosaurs and us is that we have a space program and we can vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-plait/the-difference-between-the-dinosaurs-and-us-is-that-we-have-a-space/) [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) > [The Universe is cool enough without making up crap about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-plait/the-universe-is-cool-enough-without-making-up-crap-about-it/) [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) > [Our solar system is fantastically bizarre. 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It will die in the test tube.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-plait/the-best-idea-ever-thought-of-in-the-history-of-humanity-is-useless/) [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) > [Astrology ... makes vague predictions that can always be adapted after the fact to fit observations, as we'll see. Astrologers don't seek causes at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-plait/astrology-makes-vague-predictions-that-can-always-be-adapted-after/) [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) > [However, science isn't just about showing when you're right; it's also about showing when you're wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-plait/however-science-isn-t-just-about-showing-when-you-re-right-it-s-also/) [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) > [How do you convince someone they're not thinking clearly, when they're not thinking clearly? What we're actually saying is no magic, no afterlife, no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-plait/how-do-you-convince-someone-they-re-not-thinking-clearly-when-they-re/) [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) > [A lot of them complain because they say the word denial puts them in the same bin as holocaust deniers. That's too bad. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-plait/a-lot-of-them-complain-because-they-say-the-word-denial-puts-them-in/) [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) > [Some people try to tell me that science will never answer the big questions we have in life. To them I say: baloney! The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-plait/some-people-try-to-tell-me-that-science-will-never-answer-the-big/) [Phil Plait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) [Explore all 26 Phil Plait quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-plait/) ## More Big deal quotes > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. 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Not that we were…” He looked at Trevor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorelei-james/eventually-edgard-said-she-doesn-t-know-anything-about-me-not-even/) [Lorelei James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorelei-james/) > [Humility simply means that you do a great job at everything and it isn't really a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/humility-simply-means-that-you-do-a-great-job-at-everything-and-it/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Being responsible for someone’s childhood is a big deal. 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