What would you do if your beliefs were challenged?

[Beam]

[smalltalk]

The last "scientist" who's words were taken for granted without much doubt was Aristotle. From Galilei onwards, the community rather relies on tests that can be repeated, than on words written in a book.

Scientists are eager to come forth with novel insights. Sometimes they are too eager and even fake evidence just to get published. Therefore I believe, if there are unprecedented results out there, nobody would supress it, 'cause it might win him a nobel price or whatever.

Anarres' examples are loaded with the supra-natural idea of prayer. Rik and Beam gave good example how to deal with it. But sometimes, even the scientific community challenges our basic believes:

Cold fusion has already been mentioned. Another strange idea is Superluminal comunication, proposed and experimentaly tested by Günter Nimtz, professor of cologne university. He claims to be able to transmit Mozart Symphonies at 4C, that is: four time the light speed.

Personally, I'd rather believe in Cold Fusion, because it doesn't hurt a know principle, than to acclaim that Nimtz is right. But that's just my personal believe.

Is there an example, where a scientific thought has been repressed by the science community for a prolonged time? I can't remember any.