Question

In what way can open-mindedness interfere with scientific progress?

a. It can prevent the development of new ideas.
b. It can lead to the acceptance of untested ideas.
c. It can lead to too much critical evaluation of ideas.
d. It can prevent the development of scientific consensus.

Answer 1

The answer is C. Too much open-mindedness leads to too much consideration during evaluation of ideas. This extra consideration leads to extra delays and hampers forward progress and acceptance of ideas. While open-mindedness is not necessarily a bad thing, compared to the other answers given, too much of this one would lead to the most interference of progress.

Answer 2

The correct answer is option b. It can lead to the acceptance of untested ideas.

The open mindedness can be defined as the ability to believe on an idea reported by a new evidence. The open-mindedness can cause the acceptance of the wide range of ideas. Open mindedness leads to the acceptance of an idea with respect to a new evidence, these evidences may or may not be valid. Hence, it can lead to acceptance of ideas, which are not tested.