Myths in scientific research

Otto Kölbl

It is quite amazing to see that in some sensitive fields, especially in human rights, theories of development and education, our scientists dedicate a huge amount of energy in order to maintain the supremacy of theories which are quite obviously in stark contradiction to the most basic facts.

In some topics (e.g. colonial history) there are notable dissonant voices which remind us that "our" Western point of view is not the only one which can be defended with scientific arguments. In some other topics (e.g. human rights), the Western consensus is so perfectly monolithic that even the most well informed people take our mythology for granted.

This section of rainbowbuilders.org takes up a few "sensitive" topics and tries to insure that the discussion is again based on solid sources, i.e. data and fundamental texts. If you have got more examples of myth formation in the scientific community, don't hesitate to send them in.