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Scientists Then & Now
That’s part of the sad truth of scientists then vs. what passes for scientists now, at least in a lot of the disciplines. They’ve thrown out true scientific methods and inverted everything. Instead of basing their theories on the evidence, they twist the evidence to support their theories.
But, simply put, a great number of them have to do this, otherwise they won’t get published, won’t get research grants, won’t get teaching positions or tenure, and won’t be able to pay their rent. Unlike in the 19th Century, the vast today’s scientists practice their craft for a living. Unlike most of their earlier counterparts, they’re professionals, doing whatever they have to in order to get and keep their jobs. If that means not practicing true science, then so be it.
And, this has been exacerbated by the scientific publishing industry, which peer reviews papers and decides whether or not to publish them. That industry is staffed by people who are very invested in orthodoxy and carefully curated results because they need to keep their own jobs, which would be endangered by countering theories.
The gatekeepers of the science industry just give unwanted theories the “silent treatment.” No rebuttals, no arguments, but also no publication and dissemination, just silence and a total refusal to give the offenders any attention at all. “Publish or perish” being real, that is the most common and most effective means of removing the offenders from the industry.
So, scientists then and now are not the same. And, this is because between the 19th and 20th centuries society turned them into professionals and a special class or caste of people. This resulted in the art or science of Economics trumping any real adherence to the Scientific Method.
Tags: Clerisialism | Corruption | Magisterium | Peer Review | Scientists | Society
