List of minority-opinion scientific theories

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A minority-opinion, or unpopular, scientific theory is a scientific theory which has not gained wide-spread acceptance in the scientific community, usually because of lack of supporting evidence, because it challenges a well-established theory, or because its claims are falsifiable but not yet verified.

Though they lack widespread support, minority-opinion scientific are typically regarded as plausible, and should not be confused with pseudoscience or conspiracy theories which do not follow the scientific method or with superseded scientific theories, which are no longer accepted.

By definition, minority-opinion theories are not embraced by a "scientific consensus." Depending on the theory, a minority-opinion theory may be rejected outright by the scientific community, or regarded with a more cautious "wait and see" attitude. Most minority-opinion theories are in areas where a hypothesis is difficult to test for ethical or practical reasons.

[edit] Current minority-opinion scientific theories

This list is of theories which are minority-opinion, or not generally accepted, as of 2008.

Facilitated communication, which aims to help a person with limited communication skills (e.g., dyspraxia) communicate via the physical assistance (or facilitation) of another person.
Homo floresiensis as a modern human with microencephaly.
Multiregional hypothesis of human origins and migration, as opposed to the Out-of-Africa model
Exogenesis, as opposed to geogenesis
AIDS reappraisal, the theory that HIV is a harmless virus, typically linked with an alternate explanation for AIDS. Some concepts in this group are generally considered conspiracy theories.
Static universe, as opposed to expanding universe model.
Giffen Goods in microeconomics, which exist only in theory.
Mobile phone radiation and health, specifically non-thermal risks of RF exposure.
Whether Aspartame has adverse effects on health (Aspartame controversy).
Complementary and alternative medicine includes many theories which have been labeled pseudoscience but also contains some areas of valid research.
The relative risks and benefits of vaccination (Vaccine controversy).
That Climate change is caused by changes in solar radiation or is otherwise not anthropogenic.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

[edit] Minority-opinion science and paradigm shifts

Main article: Paradigm shift

Sometimes the term Paradigm shift is used to describe a change in the scientific consensus (or a change in the basic assumptions within the scientific theory or a change in the worldview of the scientific community). The change can result in a majority-opinion theory being replaced by a minority-opinion scientific theory.

Some examples of paradigm shifts in the scientific consensus would include:

The transition from a Ptolemaic cosmology to a Copernican one.
The unification of classical physics by Newton into a coherent mechanical worldview and the subsequent division following the work of Albert Einstein.
The acceptance of the theory of biogenesis, that all life comes from life, as opposed to the theory of spontaneous generation, which began in the 17th century and was not complete until the 19th century with Pasteur.
The shift in geometric outlook from particular structures to transformation group theory with Felix Klein's Erlangen Program.
The transition between the Maxwellian Electromagnetic worldview and the Einsteinian Relativistic worldview.
The transition between the worldview of Newtonian physics and the Einsteinian Relativistic worldview.
The development of Quantum mechanics, which redefined classical mechanics.
The acceptance of Plate tectonics as the explanation for large-scale geologic changes.
The acceptance of Lavoisier's theory of chemical reactions and combustion in place of phlogiston theory, known as the Chemical Revolution.
The acceptance of Lamarck's theory of evolution to replace creationism.
The acceptance of Charles Darwin's theory of natural selection replaced Lamarckism as the mechanism for evolution.
The acceptance of Mendelian inheritance, as opposed to pangenesis in the early 20th century
The movement, known as the Cognitive revolution, away from Behaviourist approaches to psychological study and the acceptance of cognition as central to studying human behaviour.