Scientific discoveries are deep, difficult and complex. They require a rejection of one view of reality (never an easy task, either conceptually or psychologically), in favor of a radically new order, teeming with consequences for everything held precious. One does not discard the comfort and foundation of a lifetime suddenly or lightly. Moreover, even if a thinker experiences an emotional and transformative eureka, he must still work out an elaborate argument, and gather empirical support, to persuade a community of colleagues often stubbornly committed to opposite views. Science, after all, operates both as a social enterprise and an intellectual adventure (Gould, 2000, p. 189).
Reference
Gould, Stephen Jay. 2000. The Lying Stones of Marrakesh: Penultimate Reflections in Natural History. New York: Harmony Books.