From: John Marlow (johnmarlow@gmx.net)
Date: Mon Jan 15 2001 - 21:17:33 MST
Not at all; I have an extremely high opinion of many. I do, however, have
an extremely low opinion of the historic intransigence of scientists in
general regarding speculations--even absolute rock-solid hypotheses--which do not
conform to the 'accepted' dogma of the day. The established authorities get
their egos wrapped up in their own theories or the positions of prominence
they've gained through the refinement of others' and fight anything
contradictory tooth and nail--quite often with tactics having nothing to do with
science. Progress is made because they die of old age, are proven to be fools
(which they would not have been had they open-mindedly explored the new
hypotheses--but they are seldom proven fools in their lifetimes because no one
dare attack their position for fear of retribution), or are dragged kicking
and screaming into the future by less pig-headed individuals. Not
infrequently, the trailblazer who first saw the truth dies before it becomes
accepted--and so the field stands still for decades. The atmosphere this perpetuates is
one of fear, not discovery.
Science is a wonderful process. Scientists, often, make it something less.
john marlow
--- Emlyn wrote: It seems as though you have a low opinion of "scientists". Why? Emlyn -- The strength to change what I can, the inability to accept what I can't, and the incapacity the tell the difference. --Calvin Sent through GMX FreeMail - http://www.gmx.net
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Nov 02 2002 - 08:04:55 MST