It also works better for people's egos. Saying and trying things that might end up being wrong means a willingness to not only accept failure, but failure that

It also works better for people's egos. Saying and trying things that might end up being wrong means a willingness to not only accept failure, but failure that might end up making you look stupid. By contrast appeal to 'what everybody knows' in a given time and you can never be wrong. Because even when you are wrong it can easily be hand-waved away as, once again, 'well everybody thought...' Though, thankfully for humanity - not "everybody"!