I witness with some sadness that last week, in cosmology, 50+ authors joined together to criticise an article with *one* author.
A fight of 50 against 1 looks bad in *any* context (with the exception of dictatorship) and I feel embarrassed that this should happen in science.
No matter how scientifically correct the authors are, or believe they are, they should not need to gather round 50 of their mates to fight the one author.
In fact, if the lead authors of the 50+ group are so confident of their science, why do they need to gather tens of authors more around them? To shout louder? Does their science become more correct if they shout louder?
Science is won on the accuracy and rigour of the arguments presented, *not on who shouts the loudest*.
This resembles a playground fight, and is not unlike bullying.
How ever right or wrong the 50 authors were at the outset, they have lost a fair amount of credibility, with such a display of cowardice.
Science is better than this. We are better than this. We can do better than this.