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market-farming - Re: Scientific Methods (was Re: Aspartame, and food approval as usual)

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  • From: "jay gee" <jgj23 AT mindspring.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Scientific Methods (was Re: Aspartame, and food approval as usual)
  • Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 13:02:52 +0000


Hi folks,

Been quietly writing away, reading Market Farming
regularly. This Aspartame, scientific method
thread inspired me to post.

I have to agree with Bill, and Alison both.

Science is great and a lot of what is passed off
as Science is not.

Unfortunately, scientists are not given ethics
licenses in order to practice their trade.

Scientists have to eat. For many that means
going to work for industrial and commercial firms
and doing what is required to get the next set
of products to market.

There are very few "basic research" science jobs
out there and not every scientist wants to do basic
science. As a result, they do the work they can get,
which includes teaching and conducting research
for various companies and branches of government.

Now and then, a not so good, not so ethical scientist
(or many) comes along and connects with a not too
smart, no so ethical business person (people) and
the result is a tobacco industry (whether it produces
tobacco or something else is entirely beside the
point).

Any university, land grant or otherwise, is subject to
hooking up with scientists who do "bad science"
and try to pass it off as the real thing. Newspapers
often have articles about this scientist or that
scientist "fessing up" to the fact that they screwed
around with their numbers or study results to achieve
the goal they or their client desired.

Fortunately for the rest of us there are plenty of
ethical, smart scientists interested in good science
who recognize junk science as such and work hard
to make sure it is recognized for what it is.

Just as there are liberal politics, there are scientific
politics of the kind involved with Aspartame, GMOs,
the USDA's preoccupation with low fat diets, and the
recent military/political decision to make millions of
doses of smallpox vaccine. If someone can make
a buck off of something, politicians are sure to
come running with their hands out in exchange for
favors or a vote now and again.

In the modern scientific world the likelihood of
finding a scientist with the same kind of integrity
demonstrated by Jonas Salk is slim, if not for all
the media influences telling people they must be
rich (imclone comes to mind) but for the contracts
of employment between scientists and universities.

Keep up your vigilance and we will be alright.

Regards all,

Jay Gee
not a farmer -- but interested in farming






  • Re: Scientific Methods (was Re: Aspartame, and food approval as usual), jay gee, 08/26/2002

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