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Old 02-17-2008, 03:18 PM   #88
Itse
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I always get somewhat amused or annoyed (depending on my previous mood) by this vision of scientists by the ID/creatonist/whateverIdon'tlikeyourtheory group that sees them as people who don't like it when someone questions the "accepted" theories. (Actually, since people tend to believe everyone is like them, this kind of stuff tells more about the people saying this stuff than of the intended targets.)

That's the most absurd thing ever, really, when you think about it. Sure, nobody likes to see THEIR theory be discredited, but since every theory is credited to only very few people, the rest of "the scientist crowd" don't have a personal interest (except that they might like to see their rivals put down), and being scientists, they actually tend to get crazily excited when faced with the notion that there is actually a new, better theory they could work with. (One of the reasons being that the more of the old gets thrown out, the more there's room for new papers to be published. New theories mean new things to explore and more reputation and money to be made.)

In other words, scientists LOVE new theories. Just look at the Nobels, the most prestigious scientific prize out there; you get those for coming up with something new, not just tweaking the old established theories. That right there should tell you what "the scientist crowd" truly appreciates.
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