As we learned through the readings and in class, both of the hoaxes The Cardiff Giant and The Piltdown Man were centered around human prehistory. Although each had their own reasons and motivations, I think the fact that they were both about the history of humans is really important in understanding why they both blew up in the eyes of the public in the ways that they did.

The Cardiff Giant proved that the bible held the answers to human creation while The Piltdown Man was said to be the “missing link” in human evolution. I think that human beings can be anthropocentric when it comes to prehistory and that because of that sometimes humans can be more susceptible to believing hoaxes regarding our origin. In other words, I think people really want to know how people came to be and are willing to suspend disbelief in the face of answers easily given about humanity’s past. The Cardiff Giant and The Piltdown man, which were both obvious fakes, can be a good example of this. Although, I think it’s fair to say that the public at the time of these hoaxes were not simply believing them because they were being stupid or naïve.

The scientific community, or should I say the loudest part of the “scientific” community, at the time claimed these were real. Take for example The Piltdown Man wherein respected members of the academic community, such as Dawson and Woodrow, attested to the validity of the artifacts discovered. I’m sure that while some media at the time pointed out it was an obvious hoax, I’m sure others claimed: “scientists discovered the missing link!” and that the public, especially during an era when higher education was not something available to everyone, really had no reason to believe they were being lied to.

Similarly with The Cardiff Giant, paleontologists and geologists pointed out the man was clearly not a fossil but I think it’s easy to overlook that during that time many of the public had most likely never seen a fossil to compare. So I think it is sometimes easy to question how these people were so obviously and easily fooled from our perspectives but the context of when these hoaxes took place is very important in understanding their success.

Furthermore, while some academics like Dawson were in on the hoax and were directly culpable for their actions, I think other scholarly individuals may not have been so malicious in their intent. It should have been obvious to any scientist that The Piltdown Man was faked but I think sometimes belief can be blinding. This is all purely conjecture but I bet there were some academics out there that genuinely believed the hoax was real. I can imagine they had been searching for the answer of human origin and when one was dropped, nice and tidy, into their laps, I can imagine they were willing to overlook questionable aspects, whether consciously or subconsciously, in their desire for it to be true. Similarly, I don’t doubt there were academic individuals who saw The Cardiff Giant and believed it was true because it coincided with their faith.

So, yes, I think both hoaxes reveal that scientists are just as susceptible as anyone when it comes to losing objectivity if presented with the opportunity for their findings to fulfill their beliefs. I’m not defending them, mind. I’m just saying that it happens, sometimes intentionally and sometimes not, and situations like these hoaxes can serve as important reminders. Scientists need to remain objective but open-minded. These hoaxes also go to show that seeking answers to fulfill one’s beliefs, whether religious or scientific, can lead one down a dangerous rabbit hole where a giant sculpture of a naked guy seems legitimate or a painted primate jaw becomes the answer to all of human history.