The mentality of a scientist

[wacki]

I've heard stories of a professor spending 40 years of his life trying to prove a theory. When a visiting scholar debunked everything he said the professor didn't get angry and simply replied "thankyou for proving me wrong".

Anyone know who this was or have links to similar stories?

 

[BucsMAN3K]

If I spent 40 years to prove a theory that turns out wrong, I would reply, "Well lets just ignore the missing links and say its better than the alternative".

 

[f95toli]

No links but Richard Dawkings tells us similar (true) story in his book "The Ancestor's Tale", I have to book but it is 500 pages long and I don't even remember the chaper.

I also remember reading about a famous astronomer (I don't remember the name) who had been working on the steady-state theory for many years who changed his mind after seeing the COBE measurements. After COBE he starting working on the Big Bang theory instead. Basically he accepted that the experimental evidence showed that his theory was wrong. I would say that thiis the mark of a good scientist.

 

[TuxDave]

I probably would be upset at first but in the end I think the professor wanted closure on the topic. He felt like he was on to something that he could nether prove or disprove. Having it disproven was a way to finally get the truth that has eluded him for so long.