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> We collectively changed our mind because younger geologists adopted the continental drift theory. That's one way to look at it I suppose, but it's not the wh

by simonh 4y ago

> We collectively changed our mind because younger geologists adopted the continental drift theory. That's one way to look at it I suppose, but it's not the whole story. Alex du Toit was a big proponent of continental drift, he published "Our wandering continents" in 1937 at the age of 59. Otto Ampferer was 66 when he published "Thoughts on the motion picture of the Atlantic region" in 1941. It just took a lot of time for the theoretical concepts and hard data to come together, and by the time that happened in the lat 50s and early 60s many of the originators and early exponents of the idea had already died long before of old age. Yes it can take time to change people's minds, sure, but many of the people doing the important work of mind-changing were no spring chickens themselves. The idea that it was all young hippies in the 60s fighting against old fuddy duddies is simplistic, there were plenty of fuddy duddies fighting the good fight, and had been for many decades.

mjburgess 4y ago
This has also been studied with evolution in the 19th C., and its exactly the opposite. The older generation believed it first, before the younger. This quote is used, without evidence, and it never made any sense. People who know more, and are incentivised to act on their knowledge, often change their minds. Expertise is a contrary force to partisanship. (And as far as people cite Kuhn: he was wrong. He did not set out to disprove his views, if he did, he'd find plenty of examples to the contrary).
- marcosdumay 4y ago
  And there is quantum mechanics, where the greatest critics were also the greatest supporters and the ones that created most of it.
spfzero 4y ago
It's also easy to see that the "older generation dying out" is completely obvious, and happens anyway, no matter what amount of mind-changing is going on. As minds change, some young and some not, the older minds go away, so that by the time the new idea is accepted, yes, most of those accepting it were young at the time the idea was first presented. Naturally.

by simonh 4y ago

mjburgess 4y ago

This has also been studied with evolution in the 19th C., and its exactly the opposite. The older generation believed it first, before the younger. This quote is used, without evidence, and it never made any sense. People who know more, and are incentivised to act on their knowledge, often change their minds. Expertise is a contrary force to partisanship. (And as far as people cite Kuhn: he was wrong. He did not set out to disprove his views, if he did, he'd find plenty of examples to the contrary).

marcosdumay 4y ago
And there is quantum mechanics, where the greatest critics were also the greatest supporters and the ones that created most of it.

spfzero 4y ago

It's also easy to see that the "older generation dying out" is completely obvious, and happens anyway, no matter what amount of mind-changing is going on. As minds change, some young and some not, the older minds go away, so that by the time the new idea is accepted, yes, most of those accepting it were young at the time the idea was first presented. Naturally.