[exporectomy]

He seems a bit self-contradictory saying both "value those who ensure that science is self-correcting." and "when it comes to credit assignment in science, the important question is: Who did it first?"

Probably worth stepping back and asking why we have heroes in the first place. It obviously doesn't serve the hero himself because he's dead. It's for the benefit of other people. Perhaps if it seems unfair, people won't be so inspired by them, but that's more about perception and modern culture than reality.

We already have a million and one scientists trying to be the first to discover a novel phenomenon but in a useless and non-self-correcting way and not even bothering to follow up on their own "discovery", perhaps hoping someone else will do the hard work while they enjoy the credit of being first. I'd also say that perhaps it doesn't count if you do it first but your results remain hidden and unused. I'll bet some native African discovered Angel Falls before Angel did, but that knowledge didn't get out to the wider world so what was the point of it?