We need scientific dissidents
I think one cause of this inability to tolerate dissent is how scientists and capital-S Science have functionally (and inadequately) replaced religion&#x2F;ethics&#x2F;philosophy for a sizable portion of society. Many otherwise intelligent people think that religion&#x2F;philosophy is purely subjective, merely a word game, or not something &quot;serious&quot; people study. Of course, they do this without understanding that this position is itself a philosophical position, the result of centuries of intellectual development.<p>The result: science, which is supposed to be a neutral process that <i>encourages</i> dissent, becomes a political game, where scientists are treated as the ultimate authority on non-scientific questions.