'Being a scientist is a state of mind, not a profession'

Q: Why do you say 'Being a scientist is a state of mind, not a profession'? Aren't all scientists not professionals?

Krishna: 😊

I face this question very frequently offline. I must have answered this question at least a hundred times.

Each time I give a different example to support my statement.  

Let me give an example this time too. 

Recently I met some highly qualified people.

One lady proudly told everybody that she 's a scientist working with some private drug company. 

"I am a scientist!"

'I am a scientist!'

There is pride in her every word. 

"Glad to hear that,'' I told her, 'it is rare to meet women scientists'. I  sincerely meant it when I told her that in the beginning. 

But after spending  some time with her, my whole view changed!

Let me present the whole scene to you now to make you  come to your conclusion.

We were talking about some ailments and somebody gave  advice to use  Homeopathy medicines for them.

I  said, "Homeopathy doesn't work as it is based on pseudo-science.  Don't waste your time and money on it".

This scientist lady immediately said, " I use Homeopathy, it works!"

A "scientist" (she has a PhD in Chemistry) working with a drug company not only supporting pseudo-science but promoting it is unpalatable to me. 

"It could be a placebo effect. How do you know it is not ?" , I asked her.

"What is placebo?" she asked!

Entire room fell silent!

'Are we dealing with a scientist in the drug industry?', I asked myself. 

Another scientist working with the US FDA explained it to her and said, " Krishna is right. You don't know why you feel the Homeopathy drug you are taking  is 'working' for you.  You feel it is working- but it could be a  psychological one. Without evidence to show that it is actually the drug you took that is making you feel better, you can't say Homeopathy works. That is not evidence". 

The lady went silent. 

She realized she herself proved to the gathering that being a scientist is a state of mind, not a profession!

I encounter such situations day in and day out to my great inconvenience. 

And the type of scientists  our education system is churning out with such ease.

Are you still shocked by my statement?