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http://www.soc.ucsb.edu/faculty/scheff/Peer_Review%5B1%5D.htm
A resolution[?]:
http://www.beekeeping.com/articles/us/bee_dance_2.htm
. . . I know that many, indeed most, new discoveries bought
their discovers grief. The more important the discovery, the
more vigorously it was rejected. It is myth taught to young
people that science is an open minded search for truth. We
hope the young will adopt this ideal approach at least long
enough to contribute a discovery or two. Once they make
their contribution, they soon see how the system actually
works. I suppose, that is why new ideas come mostly from
the young, before they know better, or from the old after
they are independent of the system.
The flaw is, of course, in how reward and praise are given.
A skeptic never pays a price for being wrong, but a supporter
of a new idea always has to risk a loss whether he is right or
wrong. A skeptic is always considered a noble protector of
the truth, while a new idea is always considered wrong until
it is proven correct. Fortunately, not everyone reacts this way,
so the human race can actually move ahead, although more
slowly than it otherwise might.