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    Cover of The rejection of continental drift

    The rejection of continental drift

    Naomi Oreskes · 1999

    Biology & Medicine
    Open LibraryAmazon
    Stats for nerds
    0recommend
    2mentions
    2people
    2017–2026years
    100% neutral

    Mentions per year

    2017201820192020202120222023202420252026

    What Hacker News says

    1. aeonikSep 2026
      I think you are right, but this is a straw man.

      There are some quantum consciousness cults out there, but plenty of people are interested in investigating the quantum nature of biological effects including consciousness that aren't quacks.

      There is also a tendency for some scientists to react dismissively to hypotheses associated with pseudoscience, even when the narrower scientific question is perfectly legitimate.

      Reminds me of the visceral reactions in history, like the Rejection of Continental drift (i.e. high level idea was right, but mechanisms hadn't been pinned down yet).

      Not claiming that the quantum hypothesis is right, just saying we didn't jump to conclusions.

      thread
    2. dredmorbiusMar 2017
      You couldn't be more wrong.

      I'll offer as an excellent case study in development and establishment of new scientific theory, the emergence of plate tectonics (or continental drift theory). Naomi Oreskes, a tireless advocate of real science, and debunker of pseudoscience and disinformation (see Merchants of Doubt) documents the four-century-long battle to establish the concept in her books PLATE TECTONICS: The Insiders’ History of the Modern Theory of the Earth and The Rejection of Continental Drift, along with several further articles on the topic.

      https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/naomi-oreskes/pla...

      http://www.worldcat.org/title/rejection-of-continental-drift...

      thread

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