Jimmy Wales wrote:
I know too little about physics to have anything helpful to say here. Reading between the lines here, I'm guessing that Mr. Royce's views are not mainstream? Is there any helpful accomodation that could be made here?
I'll match my competence to deal with physics with Jimbo's at any time.
The fact is that these eccentric theories do exist, and more energy is spent trying to discredit them then the originator put into developing the theory. In a similar way, what keeps trolls alive is the generous amount of nourishment supplied by their detractors. The behaviour of some of the advocates of "science" in the preservation of their "bodily humors" is such that if ever there were a Pope of Science they would make fine candidates for that office.
There is a place for these theories, even as most of them (often deservedly) are cast aside in the history of science. Some do lead somewhere, though it is not apparent at the time; an example here could be Alexander Bain's 1843 patent of the teleautograph, an early attempt at transmitting pictures by telegraph.
Allowing Mr. Royce's views at the appropriate place(s) is just fine. There these views should fairly represent what the proponents are trying to say without the need to have those views interrupted by constant bickering about every tiny detail. Later the after the proponent has finished his explanation, there will still be plenty of room to express disagreement. Sometimes only a simple sentence like, "The above ideas have not been accepted by mainstream science," will be more than enough to fulfill all NPOV requirements. Why should it be so easy for the supporters of "sciene" to forget that the primary burden of proof for any new theory lies with the proponents? When they have failed to carry that burden, a simple remark to that effect is all that is needed. There is no need to mount a thorough attack; there is no need to find an excuse (such as promoting one's own theories) for censoring out these articles. If they begin to infect other more accepted concepts, it could be enough to say at the infected site, "An alternative view of this is expressed at [[...]]."
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