Broscience! What is it? Why should you care?

[Son of Hobbes]

"Do you even grow, bro?"
​

What is Broscience?


You've probably heard this term tossed around in the cannabis space, but what is it, why does it exist, and why should we care?

The term broscience (or bro science) originates from the body-building community, associated with bodybuilders imparting unproven and false tactics about training and nutrition to less educated bodybuilders.

In the context of cannabis, "broscience" is the overconfident and uninformed sharing of anecdotes or advice, presented as facts but with no scientific basis.


What's the difference between anecdotal and scientific evidence?


Anecdotal evidence can be defined as testimony that something is true, false, related, or unrelated based on isolated examples of someone's personal experience.

"I think, see, or observe, therefore it must be."

The difference between anecdotal and scientific evidence is that scientific evidence is proof based on findings from systematic observation, measurement, and experimentation.


Why is "Broscience" Dangerous?


Broscience tries to appeal to authority versus science. It's not meant to be helpful, it's meant to impress ("look at what I think I know!")

Quite often when broscience is contested; those suggesting it become combative rather than being open minded or willing to discuss, pointing to pictures of their plants or grow as proof and evidence instead of providing actual scientific evidence. While broscience isn't necessarily inherently wrong or false, it's quite often NOT right (and lacks little to any scientific basis, or "pick and choose" science.) It is often wildly misleading, while the person suggesting it tries to be as convincing as possible.

Unfortunately, it can be very hard for new growers or uneducated growers to know the difference in the suggestions (especially in open forums and social platforms.) This is very damaging to the learning process, having to sift through information and trying to discern fact from fiction.

As growers, we should be helping and empowering our fellow growers to learn, to want to learn, and to keep pushing the envelope on what we know and do not, but there's a fine line between discovery and understanding versus pretending to understand and passing it off as fact.

 

[BII]

Any lists, reviews, etc. out there reporting the 'good' vs. 'bad' Broscience? What are the prime example of bad Broscience advice?

 

[JP1]

48 hours darkness? Flushing? UV light? Buds are dry when stems snap? Plant seeds sideways? I think broscience goes with the weed growing community because most of it has always been trial and error and word of mouth literally forever. We're just now starting to see scientific studies with weed that had already been done and figured out with most plants long ago. Plus everybody is constantly pushing the plants for more. There's nobody trying to get 1% more terpines out of a rose bush. I do feel like most of the broscience stuff is negligible and at least for the most part doesn't hurt

 

[Bill.de.Cat]

I am a lucky sumbeetch........pointing to pictures of their plants or grow as proof and evidence instead of providing actual scientific evidence. :smoking:

 

[Rasterman]

"Everything is true and nothing is true."

-The dead man, Britannia

 

[Badfinger]

To play devil's advocate, scientific facts are disproven everyday. Thats why I cringe every time I hear someone say "the science".

 

[BII]

To play devil's advocate, scientific facts are disproven everyday. Thats why I cringe every time I hear someone say "the science".

But on the other hand, scientific "facts" being proven, confirmed, etc. or disproven, abandoned, etc. is progress, good, desirable. Being "disproven" generally means "facts" have been adjusted, optimized, replaced, etc. as new knowledge/understanding/perspectives and better technology become available.

Otherwise, "the science" is a loaded popular, rarely if ever defined, term seemingly mostly used in the context of popular/political controversies, with different meanings/perspectives often based on personal views of a topic. Such as referring to "the science" related to vaccines, global warming, safety of cannabis, etc. It's a term scientists would generally prefer to avoid using, but are forced to in communicating with the public. I think it good that you "cringe every time [you] hear someone say 'the science.'"

 

[NORBY]

Science don't mean it's right or wrong, Science is simply Observation / Experimentation and testing of methods or theory's that's been previously tried or used to obtain a way of documentation of facts obtained though observation Testing Experimentation & Theorizing lol

 

[BII]

Science don't mean it's right or wrong, Science is simply Observation / Experimentation and testing of methods or theory's that's been previously tried or used to obtain a way of documentation of facts obtained though observation Testing Experimentation & Theorizing lol

Science is also broader, ls a system of belief and behavior, involves basic approaches to perceiving and solving problems, doing things, etc. based on cumulative knowledge from "Observation / Experimentation and testing of methods or theory....."

 

[PeaceLove&Buds]

I’ve always felt it was the people who bust out the scientific studies as the ones saying “look at what I know” and the broscience guys as just trying to help whether they’re right or wrong. We’re just growing weeds here. And I’m willing to bet my unscientific bud is just as good as any out there