blevkog

But don't really expect them to know what they're talking about. As this BBC article points out; most celebrities speaking out for a cause do so with little in the way of actual knowledge and less in the way of research. Fortunately, these people are trying to fix that, as uphill a task as it sounds, with over 1,400 scientists willing to provide their services in the cause of improving public debate. They've even got their own celebrity backing them up:

One celebrity who is backing the campaign is illusionist Derren Brown. He said: "We are more than aware that the media prefer a shocking story over delicate fact.

"In areas like food, environment and medicine, this can have serious results," he added.

"Scientists, traditionally a quiet bunch, are now trying to redress the balance and finding ways of promoting fact over misinformation."

Come to think of it, what is it with magicians anyway? Why is it they're the ones trying to shine the light?

I guess what I'm trying to say is - don't assume that someone's an expert on a subject just because they're on TV or in the movies. And before any right-wingers chime in with comments about 'Liberal Hollywood', why don't you just be quiet - the right wingers have more than their fair share of loonies talking out their butt; Pat Robertson, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh - shall I go on? I'd also pass on a helpful comment I'd seen long ago on another site on the subject of distinghuishing science from pseudo-science

If an 'expert' is saying "the evidence suggests" or "It strongly indicates" then there's a fair chance it's science. If they're saying "There can be no doubt that" or "It goes without saying that" or "There can be no other conclusion", then maybe you should start looking further.

Posted by Dan on Friday, January 05, 2007 at 9:13 AM | Permalink