Myths die hard. Why? (aerospace engineers' role in non-defense work)

Abstract

A myth is a falsehood perpetuated by a population that chooses not to investigate the underlying truth. Most myths are harmless. However, the myth that aerospace engineers are nonproductive in non-defense work certainly hurts our profession. We examine the mechanism used in promoting myths, and find that some myth perpetuators, including the ones that perpetuated the aerospace-engineer myth, are well compensated for their services. Also, substantial financial rewards are available to those who can correctly recognize the falsehood in myths. The 1950's myth, "Trade in your car at 50,000 miles and save maintenance cost," is an example. We evaluate other myths.<>