Fix Procedures When Theories Fail

When a widely respected scientific theory turns out to be false, the priority should be repairing and publicizing the procedures (replication, data sharing, incentives for correction) that enable reliable updates, not defending authorities or scorning dissenters. This focuses public attention on systems — journals, funding rules, institutional incentives — that determine whether scientific correction becomes orderly or chaotic. — Shifting debate from personalities to procedural reform reduces polarization around scientific reversals and strengthens policy that relies on evolving evidence.