I wrote:
> My arguments apply equally well to many other conspiracy theories, such as > the claim that the moon landings were faked . . . > I mean large conspiracies involving thousands of people. I think these are impossible. Small conspiracies are possible. Some have occurred in history. To take an example from this field, I think it would be impossible for large numbers of people to secretly suppress cold fusion in a coordinated fashion. However, individuals have certainly done this on an ad hoc basis. As I said, in most cases we know who they are because they call up the researcher they bashed. They gloat, and rub it in. In other cases we do not know who pulled strings and canceled funding. It does not matter who does these things. If it isn't one big-name scientist, it will be another. Anyone who manages to become the editor or a blogger at the Scientific American is bound to have it in for cold fusion. Even if we rid ourselves of Robert Park there are plenty of others who will take his place. A small conspiracy is plausible. Stanley Meyer dropped dead outside a restaurant. I assume he suffered from a stroke. I believe Gene told me that is what the doctors concluded. Many people believe Meyer was murdered, perhaps by a conspiracy. There was only one of him and it would not take many people to organize such a conspiracy, so I cannot discount that possibility. It would not be like trying to organize a conspiracy of with 2,000 climatologists in cahoots. Frankly, I doubt you could organize 20 climatologists to show up at lunch during a conference. Generally speaking, getting scientists to do anything is like herding cats. - Jed
