I believe that both hoaxes show that objective scientist cannot be trusted to use skepticism when it fits their beliefs or needs. Many scientists were fooled by the Piltdown Man because of not only their drive for England to have a major discovery, but also because it would prove many scientist beliefs in evolutions. The Piltdown man would show a brain centered theory and furthermore prove the existence of a missing link. Hence why it was unchallenged for 75 years. Scientist acted similarly towards the Cardiff Giant who also took over ten years to really be uncovered. The Cardiff Giant proved a major archaeological find that showed human variation and connections to the bible.
The Piltdown man was discovered by Charles Dawson in Sussex around 1908. The time period was crucial to the reasoning behind the Piltdown Man discover because England was one of the only Nations to not have a huge evolutionary discovery. The first part of the Piltdown Man to be discovered was a skull fragment, followed by more fragments, teeth and a partial mandible. All of these findings suggested to hominid traits, especially intact molars. This would support the brain centered theory that evolutionist wanted so badly to prove. This would furthermore point to the motivation of scientific ideology. People, scientist, and evolutionist wanted to find the “missing link” that was in question at the time. The scientist and evolutionist wanted it to show the process of evolution was in fact real and that everyone and everything did indeed develop and change over periods of time. People were curious and excited about a new discovery, and to the general public there was no way of telling it was a fake. When placing photos and bones in front of the average person most people wouldn’t be able to tell the slight adjustments made to the Piltdown Man fragments. Especially with the other motivation of Nationalism at the heels of all of England. Citizens wanted to have their very own famous and crucial discovery as much as scientist did. It was easy to take pride in one’s nation when the evidence is supposedly sitting right in front of everyone.
The Cardiff Giant also preyed on curiosities of the people. The Cardiff Giant had been discovered on a farm in New York seemingly unintentionally by workers on Stub newels farm. Once the “giant” had been dug up, it seemed as they had made an astonishing discovery of a petrified giant man. Almost automatically the Cardiff Giant drew in up to 500 people daily just to look at the giant. Of course, with people flocking in, Newell began to charge to see the sight. This worked because of not only general curiosity, but because of people’s biblical views. Giants were named on multiple occasions in the bible, which drew people in on their beliefs that god created human lifeforms. Adding to those beliefs, Newell also had help from Hall who planted the giant over a year ago. This gave time to let the dirt settle and make it look like it had been there for thousands of years. Just like the Piltdown Man, ideology was a major motive. Hall was an atheist and wanted to prove a point about people believing anything just because the bible says to. The other motive was easily money. Not only did Newell make thousands off his farm viewing, but another copy by P.T, Barnum made even more traveling in his circus. Thousands were made back then and over time millions, including the fact museums still make money off of it.
I believe that claiming that all scientists can not be trusted to use skepticism when claims are presented that adhere to their own theories is a slightly unfair and rather broad generalization. And I think that it would not be accurate to juxtapose it with the idea that science as a field is naturally self-corrective. I think that individual scientists can be prone to accepting self-validating claims. But it doesn’t mean that science as a whole is not a constantly changing entity that is trying to be as truthful and complete as humanly possible.
While the Piltdown certainly had its time in the spotlight, as well as its time as the accepted theory. It did not go unchallenged. Starting in 1913, five years after the discovery of Piltdown Man multiple renowned academics and scientists challenged Dawson’s claims. In 1913 it was Waterson a professor of anatomy at KIng’s College, who said the mandible belonged to a chimp. In 1915 Gerrit Miller of the Miscellaneous Collection at the Smithsonian declared it undoubtedly belonged to an ape and not a hominin. In 1943, Weindenreich of the University of Heidelburg said that the skull was a human cranium and that the mandible belonged to an orangutan. Professor Waterson, especially as he belongs to a British university proves that unskeptical scientists are a case by case issue. And that just because he was British and it would have been convenient to ignore the facts he didn’t. Additionally, the Piltdown Man was uncovered as a forgery within forty years, not seventy-five.