The Skeptic's Dictionary

One of the most important possible themes in skepticism is that those who apply scientific information are generally technicians, not scientists, and as such may have great difficulty discriminating between real scientific information and pseudoscience. Why? Because learning information and applying it to achieve customer satisfaction is a very different task than creating and evaluating rival theories by means of experimental evidence with an eye out for error and fraud. Many of Carroll's documents might be improved by noting this distinction. It explains neatly why so many "scientific" opinions by credentialed professions are really scientism (the appearance of science without the substance). The process of peer review and criticism maintains high standards of science, but is generally lacking in most practical application.

One of the most important possible themes in skepticism is that those who apply scientific information are generally technicians, not scientists, and as such may have great difficulty discriminating between real scientific information and pseudoscience. Why? Because learning information and applying it to achieve customer satisfaction is a very different task than creating and evaluating rival theories by means of experimental evidence with an eye out for error and fraud. Many of Carroll's documents might be improved by noting this distinction. It explains neatly why so many "scientific" opinions by credentialed professions are really scientism (the appearance of science without the substance). The process of peer review and criticism maintains high standards of science, but is generally lacking in most practical application.