DIFFICULTIES 



the critical attitude and its replacement by too ready acceptance 

 of hypotheses put forward on slender evidence. The 

 inexperienced scientist often errs in being too willing to believe 

 plausible ideas. Superficially one's reaction to a new claim 

 appears to be an example of the general problem of conservatism 

 versus progressiveness. These attitudes of mind may sub- 

 consciously influence a person toward taking one side or the 

 other in a dispute but we should strive against both of them, 

 what we must aim at is honest, objective judgment of the 

 evidence, freeing our minds as much as possible from opinion 

 not based on fact, and suspend judgment where the evidence 

 is incomplete. There is a very important distinction between 

 a critical attitude of mind (or critical " faculty ") and a sceptical 

 attitude. 



Opposition to discoveries 



Hitherto we have been concerned with psychological resistance 

 to new ideas. In this section we will discuss some other aspects 

 of opposition to discoveries. 



Innovations are often opposed because they are too disturbing 

 to entrenched authority and vested interests in the widest sense 

 of that term. Zinsser quotes Bacon as saying that the dignitaries 

 who hold high honours for past accomplishments do not usually 

 like to see the current of progress rush too rapidly out of their 

 reach. Zinsser comments : 



" Our task, as we grow older in a rapidly advancing science, is 

 to retain the capacity of joy in discoveries which correct older 

 ideas, and to learn from our pupils as we teach them. That is the 

 only sound prophylaxis against the dodo-disease of middle 

 age."i°« 



Trouble over innovations is sometimes aggravated by the 

 personality of the discoverer. Discoverers are often men with 

 little experience or skill in human relations, and less trouble 

 would have arisen had they been more diplomatic. The fact 

 that Harvey succeeded eventually in having his discovery 

 recognised, and that Semmelweis failed, may be explained on 

 this basis. Semmelweis showed no tact at all, but Harvey 

 dedicated his book to King Charles, drawing the parallel between 

 the King and realm, and the heart and body. His biographer, 



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