I don’t know if you’ve been following the story at all, but there’s been a major breakthrough in the UK for the ability of people to speak out against, for example, claims being made about the efficacy of medical treatments. It is very important, since the UK courts with their strong libel laws, are commonly used by big companies (with deep pockets) as a stick to beat anyone (such as a reasonably skeptical ordinary citizen who is not willing to believe extraordinary claims with little or no evidence for them) who raises questions. Simon Singh, a well-known science writer (whose work I’ve discussed here before) has, after a long battle, won a crucial appeal that may be a landmark for such matters, perhaps galvanizing moves to reform the legal system, and certainly representing considerable encouragement for people to raise their voices in the name of reasonable skepticism.
This is excellent news! BBC story here, Topnews story here. Guardian opinion here.
-cvj
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I agree as usual. The legal system is heavily biased in favour of those who can afford the most expensive lawyers, so the onus should be on them to defend their claims scientifically against skeptics rather than sueing them for defamation.
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