Normal science and inquiry is a set of beliefs that are shared by scientists who create paradigms and test hypotheses that fit into the paradigms rather than investigating alternative ways of looking at the universe. Scientists are essentially conservative (not the present day political/cultural sense!) who for the most part do not dare to go outside this paradigm and who control the means (financing) of maintaining the paradigm. If you are interested in the critique of science as an epistemiology you should take a look at Thomas Kuhn's
Structure of Scientific Revolution and Popper and others. According to Kuhn, "it is the incompleteness and imperfection of the existing data-theory fit that define the puzzles that characterize normal science."
Thus the scientific establishment creates and perpetuates itself through organizations and PR monopolizing scientific funding.
the scientific establishment creates and perpetuates itself through organizations and PR monopolizing scientific funding There are two fronts of attack on the current scientific paradigms -- those from new and better theories, and those from crank theories.
The new and better theories eventually become the current paradigms -- when they can show they are not really crank theories. Consider it a temporary scientific purgatory. Unfortunately ID just hasn't made the cut and will dwell in the underworld forevermore.