dogmatism
DISHONEST SCIENCE – DOGMATISM.
Scientists are deeply conservative and dogmatic, tending to violently oppose new scientific discoveries. In case you find this to be implausible, here are some quotes from authoritative sources:-
Here is a quote from the book Hen’s Teeth and Horses Toes, by Stephen Jay Gould (Professor of Zoology at Harvard University), published by Penguin Books, Reprint 1986, page 261:- “It is true that scientists have often been DOGMATIC AND ELITIST.” (My capitals.)
Here is a quote from the book Beyond The Jupiter Effect, by John Gribbin (physics consultant to the magazine New Scientist), published by TBS The Bookservice Ltd., 1983, page 36:-
“This highlights the all too common flaw in the everyday workings of science. Theorists cherish their ideas, and are often reluctant to accept observational evidence if it proves them wrong.”
The next quote is from the book Issues in Science and Religion by Ian G. Barbour (who received his B.Sc. in physics from Swarthmore College), Published by SCM Press, page 155:-
“Scientists - - - - resist revolutions, since their previous commitments have permeated their thinking. Sometimes a new view is completely accepted only when the older generation has died off.”
Here is a quote from the book I Have Landed, by Stephen Jay Gould (Professor of Zoology at Harvard University), published by Jonathan Cape, London, 2002, pages 182 to 185:-
“My fellow scientists seem particularly subject to this species of blindness because we - - - - - think that we see the world objectively. We therefore become specially subject to delusion - - - - falsely regarded as expressing objective reality - - - - - We follow - - - - arbitrary conventions and mistake them for reality all the time.”
The next quote is from (the magazine) New Scientist, May 6th, 2017, page 44, Article Useless Beauty, by Adrian Barnett (book review of the book The Evolution of Beauty, by Richard O. Prum):-
“(in this book) we learn about - - - the tyranny of academic patriarchy - - - science selects (only) the ideas it approves of.”
The next quote is from the book The Mismeasure of Man, by Stephen Jay Gould (Professor of Zoology at Harvard University), published by Penguin (Pelican) Books, 1981, pages 21 to 23:-
“I criticize the myth that science itself is an objective enterprise - - - - Many questions are formulated by scientists in such a restricted way that any legitimate answer can only validate a social preference. - - - Cultural influences - - - determine the interpretations we give these facts.”
The next quote is from the book Origins, A Skeptics Guide to The Creation of Life on Earth, by Robert Shapiro (Professor of Chemistry at New York University), published by Heinemann, 1986, page 33:-
“In the origin-of-life field, a particular theory - - - is frequently elevated to the status of a myth. It is then treated only as a doctrine to be validated, and not one to be challenged.”
The next quote is from The Encyclopaedia of Evolution, by Richard Milner, published by Facts on File, 1990, page 131:- “(John ) Dewey realised that “old ideas give way slowly, for they are - - - - deeply engrained attitudes.”
The next quote is from the book Science Frontiers, Some Anomalies and Curiosities of Nature, compiled by William R. Corliss, Published by The Sourcebook Project, Glen Arm. MD. USA, 1994, pages 94 to 95, quoting an article by Professor Geoffrey Burbridge (Director of Kitt Peak National Observatory) in *the magazine) Sky and Telescope (75:38,1988) entitled Quasars Redshifts and Controversies):-
“The important factors for a successful career (in science) are - - - - look upon new ideas with great disapproval; and never discover a phenomenon for which no explanation exists.”
The next quote is from the book Science Frontiers, Some Anomalies and Curiosities of Nature, compiled by William R. Corliss, Published by The Sourcebook Project, Glen Arm. MD. USA, 1994, pages 205, quoting from and article “Geophysics: The Sick Man of Science, by R.A. Littleton (author of many scientific books and papers) in ISCDS Newsletter (5:3, December 1984)
“In order to be a - - - - geo-scientist - - one must - - - swear allegiance to the following tenets regardless of any scientific considerations: (The article then goes on to list these tenets.) - - - These (tenets) must be held with religious fervour, dissenters are just not to be tolerated - - - duty to defend the creed - - - by any means of chicanery and sharp practice - - - all the time representing themselves - - - - as acting - - - in the best interests of their science.”
The next quote is from the book The Sociology of Science in Europe edited by Robert K. Merton and Jerry Gaston, published by Southern Illinois University press, 1977, pages 245 to 246:-
“Scientific knowledge - - - has a normative - - - - dimension - - - - defining how researchers are expected to perceive the world - - - conformity to these norms is maintained because, in general, IT IS THE NECESSARY CONDITION FOR THE RECEIPT OF PROFESSIONAL RECOGNITION.” (My capitals.)
The next quote is from the book God’s Undertaker, by John C. Lennox (Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University), published by Lion Hudson, 2007, pages 34 to 38:-
Lennox quotes the Harvard geneticist Richard Lewontin “We take the side of science in spite of the PATENT ABSURDITIES of some of its constructs - - - We are forced to - - adherence to material causes - - NO MATTER HOW COUNTER-INTUITIVE - - - That materialism is absolute.” Lennox then comments:- “There can be - - - antagonism shown (ie:- in science) to anyone who wishes to follow where the evidence appears to lead.” (My capitals.)
Page 97 of the same book:- “Thomas Kuhn (in his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions) warned of paradigms that produced a box-like structure so rigid that things that did not fit into it were simply overlooked - - - conflicting evidence ignored.”
The next quote comes from (The magazine) New Scientist, 16th August. 2014, page 28 letters; Letter from Paul Tavener regarding The Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT):- “The MRFIT results should have acted as a wake-up call, but because they did not fit in with the by-then-established dogma, they were explained away by various means and quietly forgotten.”
The next quote is from the book You Are Being Lied To, published by BCA, 2003, pages 311 to 314 – article by Michael Cremo entitled Forbidden Archeology:-
“The dominant ideas of the scientific community - - - Evidence that contradicts these ideas - - - is forgotten, set aside, or in some cases, ACTIVELY SUPPRESSED.” (My capitals.)
The next quote is from the philosopher William James:- “History demonstrates - - - the extreme slowness with which the ordinary academic - - - - mind acknowledges facts to exist which - - - threaten to break up the accepted system.”
The next quote is from the book The Language of The Genes, by Steve Jones, published by Flamingo, 1994, page 85:-
“So powerful is the legacy of (Gregor) Mendel that his followers have sometimes been unwilling to accept results which do not fit into what they have been taught to believe.”
The next quote is from the book Ubiquity: The Science of History, by Mark Buchanan, published by Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 2000, page 43:-
“By 1900 the spirit of determinism implicit in (Isaac) Newton’s ideas had fixed a debilitating stranglehold on the scientific imagination.”
Pages 172 to 174 of the same book:- “Science is conservative, and considers paradigmatic ideas as virtually unalterable.”
The next quote is from the book Uncommon Dissent, Edited by William Dembski, published by ISI Books (Wilmington, Delaware), 2004. Article Refereed Journals. Do They Insure Quality or Enforce Orthodoxy? By Frank J. Tipler (Professor of Mathematical Physics at Tulane University in New Orleans, pages 115 to 130.
Page 122:- “Centralization of scientific research has allowed powerful but mediocre scientists to SUPPRESS ANY IDEA THAT WOULD DIMINISH THEIR PRESTIGE. All great advances in science have - - - the effect of reducing the prestige of the “experts”.” (My capitals.)
The next quote is from the book The Crime Vaccine, by Jay B. Marcus, published by Claitor’s Publishing Division, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1996, pages 135 to 137:-
The author discusses the book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Professor Thomas S. Kuhn of Princeton University:- “Professor Kuhn asserted that the - - - disincentives (financial or professional) towards accepting new knowledge have been the principal cause of resistance to new scientific achievements.” The author then quotes C. Ray Jeffrey, former president of The American Society of Criminology:- “The academic community - - - - those who pursue new ideas are often ridiculed, and those who preach orthodoxy are rewarded” - - - - The author then comments:- “Academics - - - - represent the most formidable opposition to the emergence of new strategies - - - Academics - - - are - - more threatened by unorthodox approaches.”
The next quote comes from the book The Science Delusion, by Rupert Sheldrake (who has a Ph.D. in biochemistry), published by Coronet, 2012, page 328:-
“Much of the hypocrisy of science comes from assuming the mantle of absolute truth - - - - Dissenting voices are heretical. Fair public debates are alien to the culture of the sciences.”
The next quotes come from the book Why We Lie, by Dorothy Rowe (formerly head of Lincolnshire Department of Clinical Psychology), published by Fourth Estate, London, 2012
Page 26:- “Some scientists will lie about their results because they cannot bear to admit that their favourite hypothesis is wrong.”
Page 64:- “So rarely does a scientist gracefully relinquish a theory that built his reputation.”
Page 111:-“Many professionals (scientists) learn a particular theory, stick to it for the rest of their lives, and deny all evidence against the theory.”
Page 125:-“In the scientific world there are arguments that have all the hallmarks of - - - war - - - reputations can be ruined and prestigious jobs and research grants lost - - - - When a scientist builds his sense of being a person on the theory he is investigating - - - evidence that could show his theory is wrong can result in the scientist believing that his sense of being a person is about to be annihilated. To prevent this, the scientist will fight - - - ferociously.”
Page 205:- “Cognitive dissonance is the tendency to suppress - - - issues which would produce - - - psychological pain.”
Page 269:-“Naomi started taking - - - - barbiturates - - - willingly prescribed by doctors. These drugs are addictive, dangerously so, though PSYCHIATRISTS WOULD NOT ADMIT THIS UNTIL THE EVIDENCE WAS SO GREAT IT COULD NO LONGER BE DENIED.” (My capitals.)
Page 65:-“If you are the student of a well-known - - - scientist, one of the most dangerous thing you can do is to obtain research results that throw doubt on this scientist’s theories.” (My comment:- She means dangerous to the students career prospects.)
Page 66:- “Changing the facts so that your original theory still holds is a very popular form of falsehood called “hypothesis saving”. It is not just scientists who do this.”
The next quotes are from the book Free Radicals: The Secret Anarchy of Science, by Michael Brooks (who holds a Ph.D. in quantum physics, and is a consultant at New Scientist magazine), published by Profile Books, 2012.
Page 186:- The author quotes the American geneticist Carl Clarence Lindgren:-“The scientific establishment is permeated with opinion which pass for valid scientific inductions, and with contradictions that are disregarded, because it is too painful to face the prospect of the revision of the theory.” - - - -The author then quotes Lynn Margulis (Distinguished Professor of Botany at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst) “In trying to explain - - - - the theory (to fellow scientists) - - - I found it necessary - - - to overcome this often inexplicit but powerful resistance to a new point of view.”
The next quote is from the book Janus-A Summing Up, by Arthur Koestler, published by Pan Books, 1979, page 324:-
“Some of Galileo’s fellow astronomers denies the existence of Jupiter’s moons (which Galileo had discovered), and refused to even look through his telescope.”
The next quote is from the book The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man’s Changing Vision of The Universe, by Arthur Koestler, published by Penguin Books, 1969, page 433:-
“The inertia of the human mind and its resistance to innovation are most clearly demonstrated - - - - by professionals with a vested interest in - - the monopoly of learning. Innovation is a twofold threat to academic mediocrities; it endangers their oracular authority; and it evokes the deeper fear that their whole, laboriously constructed intellectual edifice might collapse. The academic backwoodsmen - - - - stretch a solid and hostile phalanx of pedantic mediocrities across the centuries.”
The next quote is from the book Bad History – How We Got The Past Wrong, by Emma Marriott, published by Michael O’Mara Books, 2016, pages 133 to 137:-
The charges brought against Galileo were LARGELY MOTIVATED BY FELLOW SCIENTISTS - - - Galileo’s enemies set out to discredit the astronomer and - - convinced Pope Urban VIII (a former friend and ally) that Galileo had - - - mocked The Pope’s views about the universe - - - Galileo was accused of heresy and forced to stand trial - - - Prior to 1632 The Church largely accepted his (ie:- Galileo’s) science - - - It was the universities - - - who opposed him - - - Far from being persecuted by The Catholic Church, he was instead TARGETED BY HIS FELLOW SCIENTISTS, who were intent on discrediting his name.” (My capitals.)
This quote is from the book Ever Since Darwin, by Stephen Jay Gould (Professor of Zoology at Harvard University), published by Penguin Books, 1977, page 44:-
“I am a strong advocate of the general argument that “truth” as preached by scientists often turns out to be no more than prejudice inspired by prevailing social and political beliefs.”
The next quote comes from the book Bad Ideas? An Arresting History of Our Inventions, by Robert Winston (Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College, London), published by Bantam Books, 2011, page 280:-
The author discusses The “Phlogiston “Theory promoted by German scientist George Stahl. “In Stahl’s view, Phlogiston was a substance LOST during burning - - - - IT TOOK A CENTURY FOR CHEMISTS TO SCRAP THE PHLOGISTON MODEL, AND REALIZE THAT SOME SUBSTANCES ACTUALLY BECOME HEAVIER AFTER COMBUSTION.” (My capitals and highlighting.) (My comment:- This is one of the most egregious examples of scientific dogmatism! How hard can it be to weigh a chemical sample and notice that it has become HEAVIER!!??)
The next quote is from the book It Ain’t Necessarily So. The Dream of The Human Genome and Other Illusions, by Richard Lewontin (leading geneticist – Alexander Agassiz Research Professor at Harvard University), publishe by Granta Books, London, 2001, page 12:- “The first problem is to explain how - - - anthropologists of the 19th century could find that - - - the brains of whites are significantly larger than the brains of blacks, when, in fact, there is no difference between them - - - the “OBJECTIVE FACTS” OF SCIENCE turn out over and over again to be the COOKED, MASSAGED, FINANGLED CREATION OF IDEOLOGUES DETERMINED TO SUBSTANTIATE THEIR PREJUDICES - - - - Sir Cyril Burt, perhaps the most influential psychologist of the 20th century - - - -was quite willing to make up the data - - - - notorious fabrication - - - “
This quote is from the book The Flamingo’s Smile, by Stephen Jay Gould, (Professor of Zoology at Harvard University), published by Penguin Books, 1988 – Essay – False Premise, Good Science (pages 126 to 138):- Gould tells us that Lord Kelvin calculated the age of the earth as 100 million years, based upon the Earth’s heat slowly dissipating. When radioactivity was discovered, Pierre Curie announced that radium salts constantly release newly generated heat. This meant that Kelvin’s estimate was incorrect. Gould comments:- “Kelvin lived into the new age of radioactivity. HE NEVER ADMITTED HIS ERROR, OR PUBLISHED ANY RETRACTION.” (My capitals.)
These two quotes are from The Heythrop Journal, issue for July 2006, volume 47, number 3, 3rd quarter. Article: Scientific and Religious World Views, by Doctor Victoria S. Harrison of The University of Glasgow:-
Page 353 “Scientific materialism - - - its basic tenets - - - the only things that exist are material things - - - there is no purpose or meaning in the universe - - - THESE TENETS ARE NOT SCIENTIFIC THEORIES - - - THEY ARE STATEMENTS OF FAITH.” (My capitals.)
Pages 361 to 362:- “Scientific language - - - came to be recognised as loaded with imagery and interpretation, rather than just comprising a literally true description of the facts grounded in observation - - - it had become common to emphasise how theory-laden are the data of science - - - - - what was regarded as scientific data depended - - - upon the theory that was assumed - - - - scientific theories determine what one will regard as salient - - - fact.”
The next quote is from the book An Urchin in The Storm, by Stephen Jay Gould (Professor of Zoology at Harvard University), published by Penguin Books, 1990, pages 147 to 149:- “The social function of much of today’s science is to - - - preserve the interests of the dominant class - - - and race.”
The next quotes are from the book Uncommon Dissent, edited by William A. Dembski, published by ISI Books (Wilmington, Delaware), 2004 – Article: Refereed Journals. Do They Insure Quality or Enforce Orthodoxy?, by Frank Tipler, Professor of Mathematical Physics at Tulane University in New Orleans, pages 115 to 130:-
Page 116:- “Many outstanding scientists have complained that - - -the very ideas that brought them fame were rejected by refereed journals - - - this problem - - - MAY SERIOUSLY IMPEDE, IF NOT STOP, THE ADVANCE OF SCIENCE.” (My capitals.)
Page 118:- “One is struck by how often one reads that “THE REFEREES REJECTED FOR PUBLICATION THE PAPER THAT LATER WON ME THE NOBEL PRIZE.” ” (My capitals.)
Page 119:- Tipler quotes Mitchell J. Feigenbaum, the inventor of chaos theory “Every novel paper of mine - - - has been rejected by the refereeing process - - - I regard the entire process as - - - WASTEFULLY DISHONEST.” (My capitals.)
The next quote is from The Journal of Science, volume 6, 3rd series, 1884, page 361 – in a review of the book The Natural History of Creation, by Robert Chambers LLD. “A novel theory - - - is by no means sure of a fair hearing. We fear that some of the scientific critics of “Vestiges” (another book by Robert Chambers – Vestiges of Creation) were, in fact, HYPOCRITES WHO AGAINST BETTER LIGHT AND KNOWLEDGE PANDERED TO RULING ERROR.” (My capitals.)
The next quote come from the book Epidemic Diseases, by A.H.Gale, published by Penguin Books, 1959, page 67:- “Even at the end of the (19th) century, there were a few DIEHARDS LIKE (the scientist) CREIGHTON, WHO REFUSED TO BELIEVE THAT DRINKING WATER WAS AN IMPORTANT SOURCE OF INFECTION” (My capitals.)