Here we go .. a paper by a mainstream scientist who seems to have spent a career dancing around, (& legitimately researching), the controversial topic of possible non-cosmological origins of Redshift.
This paper, (see attachment), analyses the 'ins and outs' of taking the path of non-standard cosmology thinking (as opposed to the mainstream current):
"Sociology of Modern Cosmology"
Martin Lopez-Corredoira. Submitted on 2 Dec 2008 (v1), last revised 18 May 2009 (this version, v2).
http://arxiv.org/abs/0812.0537
Some great stuff in here. A sample follows:
Introduction:
"Certain results of observational cosmology cast critical doubt on the foundations of standard cosmology but leave most cosmologists untroubled. Alternative cosmological models that differ from the Big Bang have been published and defended by heterodox scientists; however, most cosmologists do not heed these. This may be because standard theory is correct and all other ideas and criticisms are incorrect, but it is also to a great extent due to sociological phenomena such as the "snowball effect" or "groupthink". We might wonder whether cosmology, the study of the Universe as a whole, is a science like other branches of physics or just a dominant ideology."
....
"There are two main psychological profiles of cosmologists, with gradations of grey between them:
Heterodox: possessed by the complex of unappreciated genius, too much “ego”, normally working alone/individually or in very small groups, creative, intelligent, non-conformist." His/her (mostly males) dream is to create a new paradigm in science which completely changes our view of the Universe. Many of them try to demonstrate that Einstein was wrong, maybe because he is the symbol of genius and defeating his theory would mean that they are geniuses above Einstein. Most of them are crackpots.
Orthodox: dominated by the groupthink, following a leader’s opinion as in the “Naked king” tale, good workers performing monotonous tasks without ideas in large groups, specialists in a small field which they know very well, conformist, domestic. His/her dream is getting a permanent position at an university or research center, to be leader of a project, to do astropolitics (see Lpez-Corredoira 2008). Most of them are like sheep (or geese), some of them with vocation of shepherds too."
Which type are YOU ?
Have fun !
Cheers
PS: Oh yes ... even addresses ... "Plasma Cosmology (Lerner 1991)". The author has been known to associate with Lerner !!