Elite scientists can hold back science

  • Context: Graduate 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Ovolo
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Science
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the perceived influence of elite scientists on the progression of scientific knowledge, particularly in the context of a member's experience with post deletions in a physics forum. The conversation touches on themes of censorship, trust in scientific discourse, and the challenges faced by new ideas in established scientific communities.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Meta-discussion

Main Points Raised

  • One participant cites an article suggesting that new scientific truths often prevail not through persuasion but through generational change, implying that current elite scientists may hinder progress.
  • Another participant sarcastically suggests waiting for the mentor who deleted posts to die, indicating frustration with the current authority structure.
  • Concerns are raised about trust in the forum, with multiple participants expressing distrust in the community's handling of new ideas.
  • A participant references historical examples of innovation being dismissed, comparing the situation to the Wright Brothers, but also humorously to the Three Stooges.
  • One participant challenges the original poster's trust in the Vox article, suggesting a selective bias in whom they choose to trust.
  • A response from a forum administrator emphasizes the forum's mission to educate about current science rather than advance new scientific truths, defending the deletion of posts as consistent with forum rules.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views, with some agreeing on the theme of distrust in established scientific authorities, while others defend the forum's rules and mission. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the balance between new ideas and established scientific discourse.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the subjective nature of trust in scientific discourse and the potential biases in the sources participants reference. The discussion reflects ongoing tensions between innovation and established norms in scientific communities.

Ovolo
Messages
2
Reaction score
0
Hi,

Interesting article here about how :

"A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it." - http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2015/12/15/10219330/elite-scientists-hold-back-progress

Just posting this here out of surprise because today a couple of my posts got deleted by the administrators of the 'High Energy, Nuclear, Particle Physics' section of this PhysicsForum, in a topic about the new findings at the LHC, after asking questions if a 'new particle' could be a due superposition, and related to that asking if the Higgs Field could be conductive for transmitting waves of the oscillating particles.

It was just a rotten thing to do, and fits perfectly in with the article.

cheers,

Ovolo.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Come back after the mentor who deleted it is dead.
 
  • Like
  • Haha
Likes   Reactions: sbrothy, Student100 and OmCheeto
zoobyshoe said:
Come back after the mentor who deleted it is dead.
No I won't. I don't trust this place.
 
We've heard this all before. Yes, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at the Three Stooges.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: Doc Al, Student100, OmCheeto and 3 others
Ovolo said:
No I won't. I don't trust this place.

Yet, you trust an article written on Vox. You pick and choose who you trust that somehow aligned with your prejudices. It is just that you don't realize that is what you are doing and only find faults in everyone else's actions, not yours.

Zz.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: billy_joule, OmCheeto, Ryan_m_b and 2 others
Ovolo said:
No I won't. I don't trust this place.
It takes more time than 2 post to gain trust IMO
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: OmCheeto
Ovolo said:
Hi,

Interesting article here about how :

"A new scientific truth ...
Please review the forum rules that you agreed to when you signed up.

We are very up-front and clear that our mission is not to advance "new scientific truth" here. That is the mission of the professional scientific literature. Our mission is to educate people about current science.

Ovolo said:
Just posting this here out of surprise because today a couple of my posts got deleted
We are very clear about our mission, our rules, and our methods of enforcing them, so your surprise is unjustified.

Your posts will remain deleted and this thread is closed.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: OmCheeto and Ryan_m_b

Similar threads

RIP Joan Feynman: A Woman Scientist Ahead of Her Time
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Graduate "Humpty-Dumpty" particle (Eggeron) discovered at CERN on April 1st, 2018
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
Can Returning to Academia Reignite a Former Consultant's Passion for Science?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Graduate [QM Interpretation]QBism puts the scientist back into scienc
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
Graduate Extended Wigner’s Friend Scenario and the existence of the reality
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
3K
Judge gets scientific method better than scientists
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K
Graduate Focus all of your ire on me, if you would
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
The Scientist as Hero - or not
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
4K
News Scientists turn CO2 back into coal
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K
Graduate Avalanche photon detectors
  • · Replies 0 ·
Replies
0
Views
841