https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC98983/
"Moreover, the passion of a scientist in pursuit of an exciting idea places a strain on his objectivity. He may fail to consider alternative hypotheses, he may unconsciously avoid designing experiments that might threaten the favored hypothesis, he may clutch at straws in the face of decisive contrary evidence, or he may even distort the very process of observation. Such honest self-deception is a much greater source of false information in science than is fraud. The most accomplished scientists have had to be skillful in avoiding these pitfalls.
Though the ultimate acceptance of a discovery rests on its correspondence to reality, the initial reactions to a new proposition may be influenced by such factors as fashions, reputations, power relations, national rivalries, rhetoric, and the strength of commitment to earlier ideas. Max Planck has suggested that major innovations in theoretical physics become accepted only when the older generation has died out."
(This post was last modified: 2020-05-02, 09:48 PM by Brian.)
"Moreover, the passion of a scientist in pursuit of an exciting idea places a strain on his objectivity. He may fail to consider alternative hypotheses, he may unconsciously avoid designing experiments that might threaten the favored hypothesis, he may clutch at straws in the face of decisive contrary evidence, or he may even distort the very process of observation. Such honest self-deception is a much greater source of false information in science than is fraud. The most accomplished scientists have had to be skillful in avoiding these pitfalls.
Though the ultimate acceptance of a discovery rests on its correspondence to reality, the initial reactions to a new proposition may be influenced by such factors as fashions, reputations, power relations, national rivalries, rhetoric, and the strength of commitment to earlier ideas. Max Planck has suggested that major innovations in theoretical physics become accepted only when the older generation has died out."
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