>Science can test hypotheses, even if individual scientists fall in love with their own theories.
The scientific process is incredibly useful, but I grow tired of the near religious reverence for the nebulous "Science."
Science isn't monolithic. It isn't an object, it can't do anything. Science is merely a process practiced by people. Science is the scientists.
Science has hierarchies like any other human institution that can wrongly prevent the spread of dissenting ideas. All it takes is enough people in the right places to keep a bad idea firmly entrenched for years. As research becomes more and more specialized we may become even more vulnerable to small entrenched groups with incorrect conclusions.
Many of the incorrect theories overturned through the years, where done so, not because the scientists who make up "Science" changed there mind after seeing contradictory evidence, but because they died off.
Your comment seems to start off by agreeing with the parent but then diverges when you say:
> Science is the scientists.
> Science has hierarchies...
No, scientists have human flaws which lead to biases, hierarchies, etc. Science, as a method for discovering the truth about our world, works very well in the big scheme of things and the reverence for it is absolutely well deserved.
Whether it's true or not that older scientists sometimes have to die off before new scientists following more fruitful paths can have proper attention is a human concern; the fact is that the scientific method is ultimately very successful and the parent is quite correct in observing that the only issue here is conflating science and scientists with unfair expectations.
The scientific process is incredibly useful, but I grow tired of the near religious reverence for the nebulous "Science."
Science isn't monolithic. It isn't an object, it can't do anything. Science is merely a process practiced by people. Science is the scientists.
Science has hierarchies like any other human institution that can wrongly prevent the spread of dissenting ideas. All it takes is enough people in the right places to keep a bad idea firmly entrenched for years. As research becomes more and more specialized we may become even more vulnerable to small entrenched groups with incorrect conclusions.
Many of the incorrect theories overturned through the years, where done so, not because the scientists who make up "Science" changed there mind after seeing contradictory evidence, but because they died off.