The are willing to entertain ideas outside the competent reach of science, just like everyone else.
I'm surprised that you're surpised that Miller would take heat buying into fine-tuning, but mayve things are just that much more open than I realize.
I'm utterly skeptical that Miller would take any heat whatsoever for believing in fine-tuning. Like many scientists, he's a staunch Catholic. Where do you get this stuff?
P.Z. Myers talks about "Miller fatigue" and how his approach constititues "putting a coat of Christian paint on the scientific enterprise", but I honestly can't remember where I read him taking genuine heat, as you say, so I suppose I pulled that one out of my a---... Sorry, you know where. Maybe my memory confused him for Ruse, since I'd been reading some of the back and ofrth he;'d been having with Dennett, et al.
As for the fact that scientists, like anyone else, can be open minded, I understand that. But that's not what I meant... Given that it is outside the the "competent reach of science" why would someone buy into, say panspermia? That someone is open-minded doesn't explain why someone accepts any particular idea. I'm just curious as to why the people you talked about found the propositions you were talking about warranted.