Do Scientists who support Pseudo-scientific theories deserve to be called good scientists?

Question

Do Scientists who support Pseudo-scientific theories deserve to be called good scientists?

Answer 1

Many of these people really have gone way off the deep end.  John Mack was censured by Harvard University and when he threatened to go to court, they backed down.  I think people who do that kind of stuff should get their PhDs revoked, especially when they circumvent the proper academic channels and publish in the popular press.

Answer 2

There is actually now a good measure of whether or not a scientist or his work is "good", and that is how frequently his works are cited by other scientists.  Fake science papers are frequently just ignored or rarely ever cited by others.  In the scientific community, the term "good" is reserved for scientists whose works are widely cited or used by others.  

There is now an unfortunate trend among lay people that claims that "all ideas deserve equal time because all ideas are equal", and so all the crank scientists should be called "good scientists", whether or not their works leads to anything.  I'm pretty sure this stems from the past couple decades of educational philosophy that every student is good and special, regardless of actual academic performance.

Answer 3

No

Scientists that support garbage are useless. They are the same types that were paid-off, and support the political idiots running around flapping and squawking about global warming.

They should all be shipped off to Siberia in winter so they can live there and take first-hand data for the next decade or so.........you know....actually be useful.

Answer 4

Yes, why not? They are the scientists who tend to keep an open mind, which is vital in science.