"Dogma" is a strongly held belief, and there is nothing wrong with strongly held beliefs. It is our beliefs about our friends, our country, human nature, our schools and so on that help us navigate our way through our lives. Dogma is good. Dogma is necessary. But dogma must not be absolute.
Being a scientist requires first and foremost a commitment to learning from experience-your own experience of the experience of others. That means a scientist must be willing to change his or her beliefs. That's not easy. Indeed, the hardest thing that a scientist must do is to commit him or herself to the proposition that Truth is more important than any belief, no matter how cherished, they now hold. It does not matter how important the belief is to you, a scientist must be willing to give it up when someone -- anyone -- marshals sufficient credible evidence that proves the belief to be wrong.
In short, your beliefs must change to fit the data, not your interpretation of the data to fit your beliefs. That is data over dogma!
Dr. Shawn
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