The Fallacy of Generational Change in Science

This story of young iconoclasts being rejected by old stick in the muds and eventually becoming the same themselves is pure fiction. In reality, people can be stubborn and stick to their ideas, whether old or new. Sometimes stubbornness leads to being right, but there is no algorithm to determine who is right based on stubbornness. The case of Lister and Zemelweis shows that being stubborn can lead to being right, but it is not a generational issue. Their rejection was due to a complex process involving resistance to change in working practices. In the past, doctors' perceived dignity was important for authority, but as science progressed, people became more open to argument. The generational story does not explain the transition from one theory to another. It is not like a new fashion trend where everyone follows suit.