• Question: Who is the greatest scientist and or philosopher of all time in your opinion?

    Asked by elliop to Clare, Mariana, Pedro, Robert, Susanne on 14 Nov 2012. This question was also asked by jimbobz, henryjones.
    • Photo: Clare Taylor

      Clare Taylor answered on 14 Nov 2012:

      Ooh elliop! What a tough question! I’m not sure that I can narrow it down to one, or even just a few! There have been so many amazing scientists and philosophers who have made great contributions to science, society and the way we think! I’d certainly include Charles Darwin, and microbiologist Robert Koch on my list and probably Bertrand Russell who applied scientific methods to solve philosophical problems.

      How about you? Who do you think are the great scientists and philosophers?

    • Photo: Susanne Muekusch

      Susanne Muekusch answered on 14 Nov 2012:

      Hi elliop,

      Tough question. Luckily, there is no wrong answer 😉 I think you asked in the chat this morning? I couldn’t make up my mind fast enough this morning. Here are my thoughts on that:

      I think a great scientist is someone who found something that fundamentally changed our understanding of the world. Plus, I think it makes a scientist even greater if the grounds were not prepared for his or her findings. Which means that they had to free their mind from the current dogmas of their time.

      Being able to set aside any assumptions is really hard! Usually, when you do not understand what is happening in your experiments the problem is an assumption you are not even aware of.

      Two scientists who I am aware of finding really paradigm-shifting things which were very controversial at their time are:
      Darwin and his theory of evolution (still controversial, although more from a religious not a scientific point of view)
      Barbara McClintock for her discovery of jumping genes.
      I wouldn’t say they are the greatest scientists of all time, because I don’t know all the scientists of all times. They are just two I read about and which I think are outstanding.

      Who do you think is the greatest scientist?

    • Photo: Mariana Campos

      Mariana Campos answered on 14 Nov 2012:

      Hello elliop 🙂 I will stick with the answer I gave you this morning: Charles Darwin and the evolution theory. It explains so much and is such a “simple” and neat theory. I believe you said this morning that you’d agree with me and you’d answer Charles Darwin 🙂 Why do you think he is the greatest scientist?

    • Photo: Robert Insall

      Robert Insall answered on 15 Nov 2012:

      I like Thomas Huxley. He was called “Darwin’s bulldog”, among other things. He was fantastically clever, but perhaps not quite as scholarly as Darwin – but he toured around the country arguing the case, discussing evolution and biology with academics and bishops and working men, and absolutely crushed anyone who was pompous or self-important.

      I’d like to be him when I grow up. Fighting for the hearts and minds, rather than growing an immense beard and hiding in my house writing books.

      Another goodie is James Clerk Maxwell. Since I now live in Scotland. He was also incredibly clever. In lots of ways he anticipated Einstein, but his audoience weren;t aware enough to understand what he was saying.

Comments

  • Photo: henryjones

    henryjones commented on :

    i believe the great scientists and philosphers where all the amazing polymaths like archimedes and leonardo da vinci i aslo like william harvey for his contribution to circulation.

  • Photo: henryjones

    henryjones commented on :

    charles darwin is inspiring btu i am quite interested at the moment with scientists who studied humans.I used to be animal crazy and even went on a tv show which is coming out in january.thanks all

    • Photo: Susanne

      Susanne commented on :

      In this case (and combined with the information that you are the disease-questions guy) you might want to read more about Paul Ehrlich or Louis Pasteur.

      I used to be animal crazy- I read encyclopedias about animals. No one my age thought that was interesting and the lady at the bookshop tried to talk my mother out of buying the “Big encyclopedia of animals” for me, because “this book is not for reading. It is to look things up. She will not read it, it is a waste of money”. I insisted. And I read it. 🙂

      Wow, a TV star- what is the show about and what is your part?

  • Photo: Clare

    Clare commented on :

    @henryjones! On TV, eh? I’ll look out for that! I helped to make a TV programme last year and last night, it one a Scottish Bafta! It was all about rot and decay – yum!

  • Photo: henryjones

    henryjones commented on :

    clare is saw that, its still got a press embargo so i cant mention its name but its one of the deadly 60 things expanding their franchise its an adventure program we went to madagascar to look at animals.