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There are plenty of debates in science. The debate over gravity would have been a good example because you had serious people in both sides of the debate and something approaching the truth came to be the consensus.

There is not a similar debate about climate change.

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The debates on gravity didn't involve non-scientists most likely because the results of the debate wouldn't have public policy implications and so there was no incentive to choose a side besides personal ego.

I would assume that any scientific claim which results in a public policy change that creates losers and winners would create a very different kind of debate where scientists are subject to external influences and non-scientists feel the need weigh in in order to avoid being the loser.

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