[andybak]

"If an elderly but distinguished scientist says that something is possible, he is almost certainly right; but if he says that it is impossible, he is very probably wrong."

https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/arthur_c_clarke_100793

> On the other hand I'm sure you could find lots of other achievements where some scientists were denying it was possible right up to the point it was achieved.

True and I'm very aware that I'm creeping towards the age where I'm likely to be on the wrong side of these debates. (Not that I'm distinguished or even a scientist)

However - the distinguished, elderly scientists are sometimes right.

[Retric]

That only seems true with hindsight bias, as distinguished elderly scientists are most memorable when they are wrong. Being right 99.9% of the time would not be enough if there are millions of you and people only care about a few quotes.

Granted, you can't be proved correct if you say some action is impossible as someone can always wait to see if you're wrong.

[coldtea]

Or you know, that is a BS quote, extrapolating from too few historical examples (and even them, not understood well), and not some scientific law.