[ez]

1500 years ago, there was scientific consensus that the earth was flat. 2000 years ago there was scientific consensus that the earth was the center of the universe. In the Iroquois past, there was scientific consensus that we lived on the back of a great turtle. I dont see where todays scientific consensus is much more advanced than any of that.

[redgolum]

Sorry, most educated people did not believe the world was flat. The ancient Greeks knew the world was round, as did the Romans. They even had a decent idea of how big the circumference was.

What they didn't know is that the New World was in the middle of the ocean between Europe and Asia. Columbus wasn't worried about sailing over the edge, but his crewmen were worried about running out of water. But Chris did have a map, even if he didn't realize what exactly the map showed. He thought it was India, and thought the world was more pear shaped than round.

[RipSawyer]

Now wait a minute, that thing about the turtle sounds like solid science to me...at least equal to the global warming garbage anyway.

[CharacterCounts]

We don't have to use the earth was flat story to prove the point. The twentieth century has numerous examples of bogus science based on a consensus.

One example, is the Piltdown man hoax, where there was almost immediate scientific consensus that it was the evolutionary missing link. Many of the leading scientist claiming it was the missing link never even inspected the skull fragments, but this did not stop them from blasting skeptics.

After about 25 years, the hoax was uncovered as a very poorly assembled fragments and jaw bones. Any rational observer could have immediately spotted he hoax.

[Rudder]

such as the “fact” that the world is flat – was embraced by a “consensus” of scientists at the time

Science did not exist as a method of inquiry until the 16th century.