More unwarranted dogmatism and suppression

At the Oakland Conference of Rethinking AIDS, I pointed out that the “HIV/AIDS blunder is far from unique in the annals of science and medicine” (video and other material available on the Conference website under “Program”).

Perhaps the most consequential point is that scientists who come up with a counter-mainstream finding or interpretation and then find themselves dumped on by their peers typically regard this as a unique breakdown in how science works, something that has happened only to them. But in fact the experience of people like Peter Duesberg is nowadays quite common. Minority views are regarded as heresy and those who hold them are persecuted.

I’ve discussed that at length in Dogmatism  in Science and Medicine. Through the good offices of a correspondent, I can now add an example from yet another field of science, that of avian evolution — Unwarranted dogmatism — The example of avian evolution.

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