Science is not a democracy or popularity contest where the idea with the most followers wins. In fact, History is full of examples where the “general consensus” was wrong, and shattered by lone rebels who didn’t agree.
In the late 1800s, the “general consensus” was that heavier-than-air craft could never fly, and was said to be a “physical impossibility” by the world’s greatest scientist, Lord Kelvin. Two bicycle-makers from Ohio made the world’s scientists look like fools.
Lots of other examples where dissenters broke the existing “consensus” and showed the truth. Science needs to always be questioned, if the idea is solid, it will withstand any rigid questioning.
Similarly, concepts that NEED to be protected from rigid questioning are probably suspect.
And that from a guy who isn’t even a scientist...
There used to be consensus in the Catholic church/government that the earth was the center of the universe and Galileo was a heretic for challenging it.