- the scientists people know about are generally older
- older people are often thought of as wiser, or may indeed be so
- when a famous scientist - who is already likely to be older, and who has a history of getting things right - gets something wrong, then it's more jarring and noticeable
My theory then is that it isn't true, but we notice such cases more.
Also, examples of a theory being true doesn't prove the theory right. Bayes' theorem seems instructive here.
And Chomsky is in touch with other colleagues who agree with him, it's not as if his disagreement stems from being an old, isolated hermit. At the least you'd have to argue his colleagues are also mistaken.
- the scientists people know about are generally older
- older people are often thought of as wiser, or may indeed be so
- when a famous scientist - who is already likely to be older, and who has a history of getting things right - gets something wrong, then it's more jarring and noticeable
My theory then is that it isn't true, but we notice such cases more.
Also, examples of a theory being true doesn't prove the theory right. Bayes' theorem seems instructive here.