The Piltdown man and the Cardiff Giant both had many similarities in type of hoax but outside of that they differed greatly. The Piltdown Man was created in hopes of achieving fame. The creators and those who supported the hoax wanted to show not only their success but also that of England. The Piltdown man was influential in the fact that it was the supposed missing link in human evolution. This was what made it such a great discovery. It provided Dawson with the fame and notoriety he needed to be considered a real scientist and a positive contribution to the archeological and anthropological communities. Conversely the motives behind the Cardiff Giant were almost completely monetarily based. Newell’s hoax was a money-making scheme thinly veiled in his claims of it being a jab at religion. He put huge amounts of money into the creation of the statue and burying it, much more than anyone would for petty retribution. He knew that he could market the giant as a sight seeing venture and put its notoriety to good use.
The hoaxes both has success but in different communities. The Cardiff Giant saw success with the public especially when marketed in a biblical sense due to its religious ties. The Cardiff Giant did not however have any scientific success and was seen as the hoax it was almost immediately. Alternatively, the Piltdown Man saw much more success in the scientific community. It was by many identified as an important archeological find and an actual scientific artifact. While the Piltdown Man had public success, it wasn’t made into the same kind of tourist trap as the Cardiff Giant leading that success to be less notable.
Both of these hoaxes exemplify that even scientists can’t always be trusted to be objective when presented with evidence that fits with there personal convictions. The Piltdown Man is especially important in presenting this idea. Unlike the Cardiff Giant many scientists actually believed in the Piltdown Man and he was a facet in science’s view of human evolution for decades. The Piltdown Man was an example of the exact archaeological find that was being looked for at the time. He supported all the theories that were currently up for debate and when Dawson created the hoax he knew this. When this fake evidence was presented supporting scientist’s ideas, they overlooked the details pointing to a fake in favor of having their theories confirmed. The Piltdown man is an example of the fact that even the best of us will fail to be objective at times and that we must always be skeptical even when it is inconvenient.
I liked the entirety of your last paragraph. I feel like it’s a sentiment that can be applied throughout more than just scientific discovery. In any field, including an objective one like science, there are not only cases of human error and bias, but human corruption for things like money and fame. It can be incredibly hard to go through everything you read and question it, it’s exhausting especially in a time where there is a constant stream of information available to us, but it’s also important that people understand that not everything is one hundred percent true and researching sources is so important.
The corrective nature of science with peer-review makes scientific journals a solid source to rely on, but the general public isn’t always aware of how to find things like that. There are so many people willing to believe something just because it’s pushed by a celebrity or someone in a place of authority. Not doing proper research (and ableism) is part of the reason we have so many people refusing to vaccinate their children. Although scientists who have done legitimate research say it is safe to vaccinate your children, certain celebrities and Facebook groups say it isn’t, spreading misinformation that is easy to digest. Because of this sort of thing we now have the resurgence of preventable diseases like the measles, so much so that the United States might lose its “measles-free” status.
You say “this fake evidence was presented supporting scientist’s ideas, they overlooked the details pointing to a fake in favor of having their theories confirmed” which is true to just about everyone. As a society we need to be able to change when faced with facts, even if it hurts out pride or challenges our current world-view. We got to where we are by being adaptable, and in this age of information we need to continue that adaptation.