Comments on: Sense About Science http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/sense-about-science/ Entomology. Gardening. Ranting. Nerdery. Sun, 03 Jan 2010 22:45:31 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Bible Versus and Gardens » Sense About Science Bug Girl’s Blog http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/sense-about-science/#comment-17618 Bible Versus and Gardens » Sense About Science Bug Girl’s Blog Tue, 11 Mar 2008 08:32:59 +0000 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/sense-about-science/#comment-17618 [...] Research more about this from here [...] [...] Research more about this from here [...]

]]> By: lowerpericles http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/sense-about-science/#comment-9825 lowerpericles Wed, 17 Oct 2007 09:52:15 +0000 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/sense-about-science/#comment-9825 Is there any like Ministry of Health acknowledgment? Is there any like Ministry of Health acknowledgment?

]]> By: Peregrine http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/sense-about-science/#comment-9730 Peregrine Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:45:36 +0000 http://membracid.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/sense-about-science/#comment-9730 While I agree that there's a lot of crap out there that simply doesn't work as advertised, part of the problem is that people put too much credence into the claims of sales staff and customer service reps who very often either repeat what they're told, or make it up as they go along. In these cases, the manufacturer's claims are probably bogus, or at least stretched a bit thin. But you can't always prove that by repeating the outlandish claims of a call center rep. Quite often these are just guys off the street working for regular pay check. If they don't know the answer, they explain it as best as they can, which is very often watered down even more. And when that doesn't work, some of them will make crap up as they go along, or use vague analogies to sound more knowledgeable than they really are. If a scientist is talking to a layperson with a script and a supervisor looking over their shoulder, the scientist naturally has the upper hand, no matter how strong or weak the manufacturer's claims. While I agree that there’s a lot of crap out there that simply doesn’t work as advertised, part of the problem is that people put too much credence into the claims of sales staff and customer service reps who very often either repeat what they’re told, or make it up as they go along.

In these cases, the manufacturer’s claims are probably bogus, or at least stretched a bit thin. But you can’t always prove that by repeating the outlandish claims of a call center rep. Quite often these are just guys off the street working for regular pay check. If they don’t know the answer, they explain it as best as they can, which is very often watered down even more. And when that doesn’t work, some of them will make crap up as they go along, or use vague analogies to sound more knowledgeable than they really are.

If a scientist is talking to a layperson with a script and a supervisor looking over their shoulder, the scientist naturally has the upper hand, no matter how strong or weak the manufacturer’s claims.

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