Article The science of not doing science

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https://edzardernst.com/2026/09/the-scie...g-science/

EXCERPTS: There is a species of high-profile science experts who can ... denounce a poorly controlled trial and ctitque “peer review” with the weary authority ... These experts are, in many respects, on my side.

They oppose quackery.
They distrust miracle cures...

[...] Don’t get me wrong: the lack of hands-on experience is not necessarily disqualifying. One need not be a violinist to criticise a bad symphony, nor a chef to notice that a steak is tough like a shoe. But science is not merely a collection of conclusions waiting to be inspected. It is also the tiresome business of producing those conclusions...

[...] The armchair commentator, by contrast, experiences science in its finished form. For them, a clinical trial does not take 2 years of tedious work; for them it takes merely as long as they need to read the paper...

[...] Their great gift is the ability to identify error without ever having had to manufacture a result under conditions designed to make error inevitable...

[...] Still, let us be charitable. Every scientific community needs intelligent experts and critics. But perhaps, before delivering a definitive verdict, our heroes might spend one afternoon in a laboratory or a week organising a clinical study? No, not to actually do science, only to observe and replace arrogance with humility the next time they write about it... (MORE - missing details)

[Zinjanthropos]

. One need not be a violinist to criticise a bad symphony

If you ever listened to a Stradivarius violin then you may conclude that it doesn’t sound any different than other modern high end violins made since Stradivari was producing them…..and you may be right.

From Wiki:

. Stradivarius stringed instruments, considered some of the finest instruments ever made. Theories explaining their purported quality include denser wood unique to the time period due to solar activity, treatment with other materials like calcium and aluminum which have been found in a 2016 shaving, and technique.[1] However, blind experiments have never conclusively found a difference between the sound of Stradivari's violins and other high-quality violins.