Welcome Frogmeister
Your post got me thinking. After seeing the Dharma films and scientific equipment the last two seasons, we (the audience) have more or less assumed that the Others were scientists conducting experiments.
But what if they weren't? What if they were simply assistants, aids or the maintenance crew for the scientists. What if something happened on the island and the "important" people were able to escape, leaving the Others behind. Perhaps whatever happened to/on the island has affected them some way and now they are not being allowed to leave (hence the plane that drops off food in season 2).
Sure, they would be more savy to the island's history than the Losties, but they don't fully comprehend all the experimentation themselves; not like a scientist would.
Of course I'm still working on my first cup of coffee so maybe I'm not making much sense.