Dr. Urey above did not convert to just any new idea, but accepted a model that matched reality better. He would never have considered holding to an opinion just because it was associated with his name. Aversion to superstition and an automatic preference for scientific explanation. No scientist can know all of the experimental evidence underlying current science concepts and therefore must adopt some views without understanding their basis. A scientist rejects superstition and prefers science paradigms out of an appreciation for the power of reality based knowledge.
Scientists are addicted puzzle-solvers.
The little piece of the puzzle that doesn't fit is the most interesting. There must be however, a willingness to act on the best hypothesis that one has time or opportunity to form. Awareness of assumptions. Diederich describes how a good scientist starts by defining terms, making all assumptions very clear, and reducing necessary assumptions to the smallest number possible. Often we want scientists to make broad statements about a complex world.