288 - Fluke - Brian Klaas
You Are Not So Smart
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The Contingency of Messengers in the Acceptance of Scientific Ideas
The acceptance of scientific ideas is influenced by the messenger presenting them. Despite Alfred Russell Wallace and Charles Darwin discovering evolution simultaneously, Darwin's mainstream scientific background allowed for easier acceptance of evolutionary theory. If Wallace had been the messenger instead of Darwin, the acceptance and unfolding of evolutionary theory, including the eugenics movement, would have been radically different. Plate tectonics faced a 50-year delay in acceptance because the initial messenger was a German hot air balloonist, leading to resistance from Western scientists. The example shows that changing the messenger of an idea can significantly impact its acceptance and the course of history.
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