Comment by SideburnsOfDoom

When Asimov says that "the model of a flat earth is nearly right, it's only wrong by 8 inches per mile" it's supposed to be an outrageous statement - the earth is not flat, that way of understanding is completely incorrect, and the (Newtonian level) correct model can help you solve new problem classes such as travel to the moon.

He's making the point of how the existing understanding can't give wildly wrong answers which are ready to be "upended", or else it would not have persisted. The understanding can be upended, sure. But the new theory has to account for everything existing.