Eclectiology wrote:

...

Scientific method is asymptotic to truth, and I would also extend that

assertion to NPOV. That a particular view is held by a significant majority (either of the general public or of experts) does not magically convert that opinion into fact. Scientific method very fairly allows for the possibility that eccentric views may ultimately be found valid; nevertheless, these allowances only represent distant hopes. Poker players are not dealt royal flushes very frequently. <<

Just a short response to one point here: that majority opinion is fact simply isn't the policy. I think the current policy makes this clear. "Fact" can be given the perfectly innocuous definition, "what everyone believes" (note, "everyone" does not mean "a significant majority") leaving "opinion" to stand for "a position on an issue about which there is significant disagreement."

Yes, there's vagueness here: when is a disagreement "significant"? What if *one person* still believes the world is flat? But I think we can work out problem cases like these on an individual basis and use our judgment; the upshot of policy has proven to be clear enough to be quite useful, I think.

Larry