[Thor]

CFI put out a great article today about the recent news on the faster than light particle and how we skeptics and scientists react to the story.

I mention this because one of the most common charges leveled against skeptics and scientists is that they refuse to acknowledge the existence of paranormal phenomenon (psychic abilities, ghosts, extraterrestrial visitors, etc.) because it would destroy their worldview. Skeptics and scientists, they say, are deeply personally and professional invested in defending the scientific "status quo." This claim is heard over and over again, often from New Age writers, UFO buffs, and the like.
It is, of course, a myth. The scientists and researchers who are skeptical of the new faster than light claims are not skeptical because accepting that Einstein was wrong about something would lead to a nervous breakdown, or that their whole worldview would crumble beneath them, or that they would have to accept that science doesn't know everything. The reason scientists are skeptical is because the new study contradicts all previous experiments. That's what good science does: When you do a study or experiment-especially one whose results conflict with earlier conclusions, you study it closely and question it before accepting the results.
......
What has been the reaction from scientists? "Burn the witch, this is heresy and cannot be true?" No, it's, "Well, that's interesting... Let's take a closer look at the experiment to make sure the results are valid."
Furthermore, the very fact that this experiment was conducted in the first place proves that scientists are hardly afraid of challenging the dominant scientific beliefs and paradigms. If scientists were truly reluctant to rock the scientific boat ("Maybe we shouldn't do this because we need preserve Einstein's legacy"), they wouldn't have done the study. In science, those who disprove dominant theories are rewarded, not punished. Disproving one of Einstein's best-known predictions would earn the scientists a place in the history books, if not a Nobel prize.

http://www.centerforinquiry.net/blog...-skeptic_myth/