Skeptoid - Skeptoid #25: Scientists Are Not Created Equal
Aired: 2007-02-05
Duration: 10:55


=== Scientists Are Not Created Equally (09:16) ===

[00:00:03]  An ongoing dialogue in modern society is what scientists say, because you'll get different answers from different people.
[00:00:11]  Part of the problem is that many of us only consider scientists who we agree with to be real scientists.
[00:00:18]  This opens the door for any random crackpot to be considered a scientist by some and revered for it.
[00:00:25]  Well, what is a scientist anyway?
[00:00:28]  We're talking about that today on Skeptoid.
[00:00:35]  Hi, I'm Alex Goldman.
[00:00:37]  You may know me as the host of Reply All, but I'm done with that.
[00:00:41]  I'm doing something else now.
[00:00:43]  I've started a new podcast called Hyperfixed.
[00:00:45]  On every episode of Hyperfixed, listeners write in with their problems and I try to solve them.
[00:00:50]  Some massive and life-altering, and some so minuscule it'll boggle your mind.
[00:00:54]  No matter the problem, no matter the size, I'm here for you.
[00:00:58]  That's Hyperfixed, the new podcast from Radiotopia.
[00:01:01]  Find it wherever you listen to podcasts or at hyperfixedpod.com.
[00:01:11]  You're listening to Skeptoid.
[00:01:12]  I'm Brian Dunning from skeptoid.com.
[00:01:16]  Scientists are not created equally.
[00:01:19]  You hear in the news all the time that scientists say this, scientists say that.
[00:01:25]  For example, some friend of mine will try to convince me that the Earth is only 6,000 years old because there are some scientists now supporting it.
[00:01:32]  I often reply with something like, sure, it's easy to find some whack job who will say just about anything.
[00:01:38]  No, no, not whack jobs, they'll quickly say.
[00:01:42]  Scientists.
[00:01:44]  Oh, well, there are no whack job scientists.
[00:01:47]  News flash, wherever you go, you'll find all kinds of people.
[00:01:52]  All kinds of people in every group.
[00:01:55]  As if bearing the arbitrary, unsupported label of scientist means that you automatically know your ass from a hole in the ground.
[00:02:02]  Does it?
[00:02:05]  What exactly is a scientist anyway?
[00:02:08]  Is it someone with a degree in a scientific field?
[00:02:11]  Is it someone who works in a scientific field?
[00:02:14]  Is it someone who's won awards or written articles in a scientific journal?
[00:02:17]  Can it be a guy in his basement who has taught himself a great deal about a given subject?
[00:02:23]  Can it be anyone who applies critical thinking to the world around him?
[00:02:27]  Do you have to have the word scientist in your job title?
[00:02:31]  Can someone simply call himself a scientist?
[00:02:34]  Whatever it is, it seems that your word is cast in gold as absolute truth if someone refers to you as a scientist.
[00:02:43]  Many people accept that too readily.
[00:02:46]  If the six o'clock action news team reports that a scientist says it, it must be true.
[00:02:53]  Not all scientists are people that we should listen to at all.
[00:02:57]  Even the Nazi doctors who performed experiments on living humans during World War II were, by any practical definition, scientists.
[00:03:06]  Would you want any of those guys telling you what's right and what's wrong?
[00:03:10]  Nevertheless, they held advanced degrees and were among Germany's top medical experts.
[00:03:15]  It's weird to say it, and it's politically incorrect, but you can't disqualify Nazi doctors as valid scientists just because they were evil.
[00:03:23]  Now go to the other end of the spectrum.
[00:03:25]  Most people in the world, and thus, by extension, most people in the world with postgraduate scientific degrees, attend religious services.
[00:03:34]  The only thing that tells us is that those scientists do not apply skeptical, critical thinking to the theological aspect of their lives.
[00:03:43]  Beyond that, many of them are top experts in their scientific fields, Nobel laureates among them.
[00:03:48]  You can't necessarily disqualify a scientist only because of certain aspects of what he does.
[00:03:54]  Many detractors try to, but it's often not right.
[00:03:58]  I'm considered a top expert in my professional field, and I absolutely have differences with most of my colleagues.
[00:04:05]  Should I be cast out, or is it healthy to have diverse viewpoints within a community?
[00:04:12]  I submit that we shouldn't give any weight to someone's statements just because some person calls him a scientist.
[00:04:19]  So then, what quality must a scientist have to be authoritative?
[00:04:28]  In a world that can feel overwhelming, spreading thoughtful, evidence-based content is one of the best ways to make a positive impact.
[00:04:35]  Ask your local public radio station to air the Skeptoid Files, a 30-minute radio-friendly version of Skeptoid that pairs two related episodes promoting real science, true history, and critical thinking.
[00:04:49]  And in these challenging times for public media, we're offering these broadcasts for free to radio stations, available on the PRX Exchange or directly from Skeptoid Media.
[00:05:00]  It's an easy ask.
[00:05:02]  Just send a quick message to your station's programming director.
[00:05:05]  By helping to bring the Skeptoid files to the airwaves, you'll help promote the essential skills we all need to tell fact from fiction.
[00:05:13]  Just go to your local station's website, find the programming director's email address, or just their general email address.
[00:05:19]  You can even use the telephone.
[00:05:22]  I know that might sound crazy.
[00:05:23]  It's an old legacy device that allows real-time voice communication.
[00:05:27]  I know that's weird, but hey, it's an option.
[00:05:31]  The world can feel chaotic, but you're not powerless.
[00:05:34]  When you promote critical thinking, you can help your community tell fact from fiction.
[00:05:39]  And that's how we shape a better future.
[00:05:41]  In uncertain times, spreading good ideas can make you feel helpful, not helpless.
[00:05:47]  Let's stand up for reason, truth, and understanding.
[00:05:51]  Together, get them to air the Skeptoid files from Skeptoid Media, available on the PRX Exchange, and they'll know what that is.
[00:06:05]  Maybe we should accept the word of a scientist if he has an advanced degree.
[00:06:10]  Have you ever known an idiot with a degree?
[00:06:12]  The fact is that practically any motivated person can eventually get any degree they want if they're willing to put in the years.
[00:06:20]  I'm sure that if James Randy wanted to, he could work hard and get a PhD in divinity from Oral Roberts University.
[00:06:27]  The reverse is also true.
[00:06:29]  A staunch creationist could no doubt become a doctor of astrophysics.
[00:06:34]  Indeed, many astrophysicists out there undoubtedly are creationists.
[00:06:39]  Thus, when you hear a creationist defend his position by quoting from a scientist, name any astrophysicist, who believes in it, that hardly means that the entire science of astrophysics has concluded that the universe was created by a magician.
[00:06:54]  Not only is the fact that someone holds a particular degree not a reliable indicator that he is an expert in that field, many degrees are themselves pretty worthless as indicators that the holder has a scientific mind.
[00:07:07]  Legitimate accredited PhDs are available in many fields not associated with science, such as divinity, philosophy, dance, or fiction.
[00:07:18]  Many people can go around rightly calling themselves a doctor, but having no scientific background at all.
[00:07:24]  Really, the only thing a degree tells you about someone is where they drank themselves into a stupor when they were 19.
[00:07:31]  I refer you to my own PhD on thunderwoodcollege.com.
[00:07:36]  Is a scientist automatically qualified because he has an advanced degree?
[00:07:41]  No.
[00:07:43]  Maybe we should accept the word of a scientist if he works in a certain industry.
[00:07:48]  Have you ever had a boss who didn't know as much as you?
[00:07:50]  Have you ever worked with someone who hated his job or didn't care about it?
[00:07:54]  Think about the company where you work right now and think of that one guy in the office that everyone thinks is a kook.
[00:08:01]  Is he a kook for a reason?
[00:08:03]  There may be people at your company who would make good representatives of your work if you put them in front of a group to speak.
[00:08:08]  Are there also people at your company that no way would you want them representing what you do?
[00:08:13]  Is a scientist automatically qualified because he works in a certain industry?
[00:08:18]  No.
[00:08:20]  The fact is that calling someone a scientist doesn't mean that he's smart, that he's right, that he thinks scientifically, or that he's anything more than a waste of space.
[00:08:30]  You can't easily qualify someone just because they're called a scientist, and you can't easily disqualify a scientist because of some stuff that he does.
[00:08:39]  All of this means that the label of scientist is pretty darn worthless by itself.
[00:08:45]  When you hear any claim validated by the fact that some scientists support it, be skeptical.
[00:08:52]  You need to know who they are, what their interest is, and especially what the preponderance of opinion in the scientific community is.
[00:09:00]  You need to know if the scientist being quoted actually has anything to do with this particular subject, or if his specialty is in an unrelated field.
[00:09:09]  Look to see if this scientist has authored a good number of publications on the subject in legitimate peer-reviewed journals.
[00:09:16]  Find out what other published scientists in his field say about him.

=== Verify The Preponderance Of Opinion (01:35) ===

[00:09:20]  Determine whether his views are generally in line with the preponderance of opinion among his peers in his discipline.
[00:09:27]  Fringe opinions are on the fringe for a reason.
[00:09:31]  They're usually wrong.
[00:09:38]  You're listening to Skeptoid.
[00:09:40]  I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com.
[00:09:49]  Hello everyone.
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[00:10:42]  Next to giggling, of course.
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[00:10:54]  From PRX.