Crichton was a writer, filmmaker, and author of Jurassic Park, among other things From The Poached Egg:
I regard consensus science as an extremely pernicious development that ought to be stopped cold in its tracks. Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet because you’re being had.
Let’s be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus.
Interestingly, the officially Christian American Scientific Affiliation is totally into consensus science. Strange turnabout, really.
See also: Memo to ASA: If everyone tried to do “consensus science,” there would BE no science