After 1945, scientific fields have generally evolved rather than completely collapsed, as modern science relies on peer review and self-correction. However, some fields have been largely abandoned or radically transformed. Here are some examples:
1. Polywater (1960s–1970s) – Debunked as an Experimental Artifact
- What it was: Scientists believed they had discovered a new form of water, called “polywater,” which was more viscous and had unusual properties.
- Why it collapsed: Further investigation revealed that the samples were contaminated with impurities, and polywater was not a new state of matter. Once this was exposed, research on it stopped entirely.
2. Cold Fusion (1989) – Discredited but Still Controversial
- What it was: Scientists Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons claimed to have achieved nuclear fusion at room temperature, promising unlimited clean energy.
- Why it collapsed: Other scientists failed to replicate their results, and methodological flaws were exposed. While some fringe research continues, mainstream nuclear physics has abandoned the idea.
3. Soviet Lysenkoism (1940s–1960s) – Replaced by Modern Genetics
- What it was: Trofim Lysenko, a Soviet scientist, rejected Mendelian genetics and promoted the idea that acquired traits could be inherited. His ideas were politically enforced in the USSR, leading to disastrous agricultural policies.
- Why it collapsed: Lysenko’s methods failed, leading to crop failures and famine. After Stalin’s death, genetics was gradually restored in Soviet science, and Lysenkoism was abandoned.
4. Behaviorist Linguistics (Skinnerian View, 1950s–1960s) – Replaced by Chomskyan Linguistics
- What it was: B.F. Skinner argued that language is learned entirely through conditioning (stimulus-response behavior).
- Why it collapsed: Noam Chomsky’s critique (1959) showed that behaviorism couldn’t explain how children acquire complex grammar. His ideas on universal grammar reshaped linguistics, making behaviorist linguistics obsolete.
5. Freudian Psychoanalysis – Declined in Scientific Psychology
- What it was: Sigmund Freud’s theories on the unconscious mind, the Oedipus complex, and psychosexual development dominated psychology for much of the 20th century.
- Why it collapsed: Empirical studies showed Freud’s ideas lacked scientific rigor, and they were gradually replaced by cognitive and behavioral psychology. While psychoanalysis still exists in some clinical settings, it is no longer a dominant scientific framework.
6. Human Racial Classification in Biology – Abandoned as a Scientific Concept
- What it was: The idea that humans could be divided into biologically distinct “races” with significant genetic differences.
- Why it collapsed: Advances in genetics (like the Human Genome Project) showed that human genetic variation is continuous, with no clear racial boundaries. The idea of race as a biological concept has been replaced by population genetics.
7. SETI’s Early Model of Alien Contact – Reconsidered Due to Fermi’s Paradox
- What it was: Early researchers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) assumed that intelligent aliens would be widespread and easy to detect via radio signals.
- Why it collapsed: Decades of listening to space with no confirmed signals led scientists to rethink assumptions about alien life, considering factors like the Great Filter or alternative methods of communication.
While these fields didn’t “collapse” overnight, they were largely abandoned, radically transformed, or relegated to pseudoscience.