Building a Better Body (Part 6): Weird Science

When it comes to scientific studies, we must realize that we are blindly accepting the word of people we perceive to be authorities on the subject. We probably aren't in the lab performing such studies ourselves, so we have little choice but to leave it to others.

It seems reasonable to presume that if they maintain positions in such employ, they can be trusted to provide us with sound information. After all, aren’t these the competent, impassioned people who dedicate their lives to looking through microscopes with the humanitarian objective of bettering the world for current and future generations? Sometimes they are, but certainly not in all cases.

Let’s talk about competence. On any given day, we patronize a variety of businesses. Maybe we even own a business ourselves. Take note over the next few days, or reflect on your previous experience – how many employees of the various businesses you interact with are exemplary models of competence? How often do you walk away from an encounter with an employee and think “Wow, that person was outstanding! They were so helpful, knew exactly what to do, and did it with passion and competence – I couldn’t have asked for anything more!”?

It certainly happens from time to time, but I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that it doesn’t happen that often. In fact, we don’t even expect remarkable performance. Even if we have to help them help us, if we can get what we came for and move on with our lives, that’s usually good enough. We are desensitized to lackluster performance. When we really stop to think about it, in any given place of business, there are probably one or two people (if any) who exhibit exemplary competence.

We know this of the businesses we are familiar with, but when it comes to fields that we’ve never had an inside look at - especially if they are thought to be engaged in “high-minded” endeavors like scientific discovery, advanced medicine, and academia in general - there is a tendency to imagine that these people are exceptions to the rule. The bottom line is that science is not exempt. Human error is present in everything we touch - even under the best of circumstances - no matter how great the effort is to avoid it.

Scientific studies are often skewed, organized incorrectly, or represent misinterpreted findings. They are not infallible truths etched on stone tablets and sent down from on high. Oftentimes, people somewhere along the chain of command have something to prove with their findings. Maybe there is political or peer pressure to prove a certain idea. Maybe it’s a case of seeing what they hoped to find, whether consciously or subconsciously. We have no way of knowing if the study was conceived, performed, and recorded accurately. We do not know the people involved on any level of the study, and we are completely at the mercy of the report generated. If we accept it, we do so on faith alone. The “conclusive findings” may not be conclusive after all, even if there is no intention to deceive.

In some unfortunate cases, there can be a deliberate intent to offer “science” that will support a predetermined conclusion. Who funded the study? That’s a good question to ask. Supplement companies have been known to fund or perform their own studies. Could there be a greater a conflict of interests? Even if there is no perceivable link, it doesn’t mean there isn’t one. We all know that there are doctors who will say almost anything if paid enough, and we’re familiar with politicians who work out an elaborate system of back-scratching to achieve their ends. These sorts of things go on every day, in every field. Should science, a field offering a particularly promising opportunity to shape public opinion, be any different?

No. In fact, it would seem a very likely target for those who wish to deceive. There are documented cases of scientific findings being announced when the corresponding study was never performed at all! Completely fabricated science - and who would know the difference?

My purpose is not to invalidate science or suggest that we can never act upon information without first-hand background knowledge. Every time I look at my phone I’m reminded of the marvels of modern science and technology. I do not know the intricacies of how this achievement came to be, or even how it works, but via my own experience I know that it does. Certainly, most scientific studies are conducted with an earnest desire to seek out truth, and often the findings are helpful - even invaluable - to moving mankind forward.

I’m only suggesting that we need to use our own critical minds to examine what we’re hearing from these unknown sources, and realize that it’s not law just because someone says it. There will always be a convincing argument when someone cites science in an effort to persuade, but we have to sort through the information to find what has real practical value to our efforts. Sometimes trial and error is the only way. Other times we can work it out in our own minds using our existing knowledge or past experiences as a basis. I'm making a case for being aware of our assumptions; and thinking and evaluating deliberately, using sound logic, rather than an appeal to majority or authority.

Scientific findings alone should never be the basis for our conclusions. If scientific theory can pass the test of our own deductive reasoning, and is supported by our own experience, then we can employ it to guide our actions until such time where those two criteria are no longer met. If we wish to proceed in our efforts with clarity, we must make a commitment to only claiming true knowledge once the validity of an idea has been personally verified.

Next time we’ll examine how information filters down and becomes common “knowledge” in the popular fitness culture.

Thanks for checking in!
Brian Blackwell

If you missed the previous articles in this series, you can find them here:

• Building a Better Body (Part 1): Introduction

• Building a Better Body (Part 2): The “Why”

• Building a Better Body (Part 3): The Selfish Art

• Building a Better Body (Part 4): Your Point of Power

• Building a Better Body (Part 5): The Role of Science