> say scientists agree on global warming, its like saying dentists agree on the causes of cavities
Not even close. I really hope you can stop and think about this analogy and see how both the professional labels and the questions differ dramatically.
> If nobody is a scientist then nobody has any more valid opinion than yours
Nobody is a "scientist" because there's no such thing. There are etymologists and geologists and chemists and so on, just as there are plumbers and linguists, each qualified in their domains. As best I can tell all that unifies the "scientific professions" is that the paychecks are mostly from academia, because the work isn't commercially viable. That's not a slight at all, it's just to throw light on how ridiculous the distinction is. Any high IQ job involves problem solving and theory.
Not even close. I really hope you can stop and think about this analogy and see how both the professional labels and the questions differ dramatically.
> If nobody is a scientist then nobody has any more valid opinion than yours
Nobody is a "scientist" because there's no such thing. There are etymologists and geologists and chemists and so on, just as there are plumbers and linguists, each qualified in their domains. As best I can tell all that unifies the "scientific professions" is that the paychecks are mostly from academia, because the work isn't commercially viable. That's not a slight at all, it's just to throw light on how ridiculous the distinction is. Any high IQ job involves problem solving and theory.