When Ignorance Becomes Dogma

A hundred years ago, before the ocean floors were mapped and dated by scientists, there were two competing theories about the crust of our planet. The oldest and most established one was the theory that our planet was growing, and the newer competing theory was that our planet was fixed size, and that continents drifted about willy-nilly.

With no data to prove that the ocean floors were much younger than the continental crust, and with the newer competing theory having the advantage of modernity, the scientists at the time settled on the fixed size planet theory. The utterly unscientific concept of subduction was embraced, and the idea that planets could expand was rejected.

Soon after this, the fixed sized Earth became orthodox dogma. Never mind the illogical and perplexing mechanisms required, all research into continental spread had to be within the accepted framework of a fixed size world.

By the time the seafloors were finally mapped and dated, completely vindicating the expanding Earth model, it was too late. The fixed size model was by then orthodox dogma. No amount of evidence could any longer prove it wrong. What had been a decision based on ignorance had become a profound and self-evident insight.

For the full story: https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-brief-explanation-of-the-plate-tectonic-theory/answer/Fernando-Martin-Maroto

Expanding Earth seen from the south pole