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The established, institutionalized set of beliefs, methods, and practices that define "normal science" within a given field at a given time. Scientific orthodoxy provides necessary stability and shared frameworks, but it also resists paradigm shifts, marginalizes dissenters, and can persist long after evidence has accumulated against it. It is maintained not only by evidence but by social structures: funding priorities, journal gatekeeping, tenure decisions, and professional networks. Scientific orthodoxy is not conspiracy but sociology—the normal conservatism of any human institution. Recognizing it helps distinguish between genuine consensus and mere intellectual fashion.
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