Avi Loeb discussed conservatism in the scientific community with regards to being afraid to present ideas that are not "sufficiently polished" or have the potential of being wrong. He claims that this behavior is perhaps due to a desire to maximize recognition in the form of prizes, newspaper articles, etc. If some of the major purposes of science are understanding our reality at the deepest level and enhancement of curiosity, then what good are prizes for? I know it is important to give credit, but to what extend is this detrimental to the advancement of the field?
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