tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post3027610352908785336..comments2024-03-11T13:47:03.621-05:00Comments on Physics and Physicists: Placebo Power Behind Many Natural CuresZapperZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861398273820851809noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post-64270777888072874392009-11-11T05:35:09.591-06:002009-11-11T05:35:09.591-06:00I completely agree with you. It´s a form of populi...I completely agree with you. It´s a form of populism, which actually not only in subjects of science but also in literature, or politics or other fields of society pops up. It´s difficult to find a balance in between bringing knowledge to the masses and presenting this knowledge accurately and correctly. <br />Especially in the subject of physics. Most people want simple truths and don´t have the patience to read "complicated articles".<br /><br />In that respect, I agree with your criticising this article. Putting links to the actual research results would improve it. But let´s face it: very few people would actually read those results. <br /><br />Besides, the two links at the end of this article are actually rather good, and give more details both about research done in this field and about the nature of the placebo effect.matxilhttp://dinzo.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post-78173585324422412692009-11-11T05:14:13.480-06:002009-11-11T05:14:13.480-06:00Still, it would be nice to actually know the exact...Still, it would be nice to actually know the exact reference. Name dropping is a common tactic of many crackpot and crank. Creationists often ignorantly cite Thermo's 2nd Law as a "proof" that evolution cannot occur. The rebuttal against another creationist's speech shows the same name-dropping that was bastardized (see previous blog entry).<br /><br />My point here is that, no matter how much one likes the message, one should always see if one can verify the sources of such information. Whereas articles in Physics Today, Physics World, etc. make exact citations of the sources, popular media, and even pop-science journals such as SciAm and New Scientists, do not! No one seems to want to double-check if such information has been correctly and accurately conveyed. Thus, we have rumor and erroneous information spreading like wildfire (ref: the US Health Care reform). People seem to just take whatever is the message that came out of talking heads and assume that it is valid, without making any effort to really check if it is true.<br /><br />The strict requirement of science, and the practice of science, while it is imperfect, is certainly far superior than the cavalier attitude that the general public has regarding knowledge, facts, and what is actually valid. It is why I keep saying that the public should be more scientific literate. It doesn't mean that they have to know and memorize various science facts. Rather, they have to be aware of how one arrives at such-and-such a relationship or such-and-such a conclusion.<br /><br />But having said that, I'm severely pessimistic that such an education or awareness will happen.<br /><br />Zz.ZapperZhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15861398273820851809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post-14002210416448221862009-11-11T04:17:27.745-06:002009-11-11T04:17:27.745-06:00You´re right, of course, that without giving prope...You´re right, of course, that without giving proper links to the actual research data, one could accuse this article of being just as un-scientific as any article defending pseudo-sciences as homeopathy, chiropractice, reiki, etc...<br /><br />On the other hand, this articles mentions a lot of names and the institutes they work for, so that with a bit of googling one can easily find links with more detailed descriptions of their work. <br /><br />All in all, I like this article very much. I think a lot of people prefer to believe in pseudo-scientific explanations instead of the "placebo effect", simply because the placebo effects sounds like something "shameful", as if they are fools to fall for a trick like that (ironically, it´s the other way around, it´s much more foolish to believe in supernatural explanations). This article explains nicely what the placebo effect is all about, without making it sound like a foolish thing. <br />I think it makes a clear case that the placebo effect is a much more likely explanation than any of those new-age quackery story could offer.matxilhttp://dinzo.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.com