christx11
Jedi Master
This is an article from the website BIG THINK.
I find it interesting as it is something I have wondered about myself. It would be amazing to live in a time when such a thing occurred (another Newton or Einstein and an amazing new revelation that affects the entire world view). But with the way things are in the present day I wonder if anyone would even notice or if such a thing did occur would it be denied and fought tooth and nail to keep everyone ignorant?
STARTS WITH A BANG — JUNE 10, 2022
Will physics ever see another Einstein or Newton?
Ask Ethan: Will physics ever see another Einstein or Newton?
In all of science, no figures have changed the world more than Einstein and Newton. Will anyone ever be as revolutionary again?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• The two most transformative figures in the history of science have been Newton and Einstein, who fundamentally changed our view of the Universe.
• To bring about the scientific revolutions that they did, they had to radically reformulate the fundamental rules that govern reality, while agreeing with all observations to date and making novel, testable predictions.
• Is such a task too ambitious for 21st century science? Would even the most brilliant mind, even a reincarnated Einstein or Newton himself, be unable to advance our understanding? It's a question worth exploring.
Will physics ever see another Einstein or Newton?
If you ask anyone who the greatest scientist in history was, you’re overwhelmingly likely to come away with two names: Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton. Newton’s greatest achievements were his theories of mechanics -- describing the laws of motion for physical objects -- and of universal gravitation. For over 200 years, Newton’s ideas went unchallenged, until Einstein conceived first of special and then general relativity, superseding and replacing Newton’s ideas for motion and gravity. In all the time since, no other scientist has made even a comparable advance in revolutionizing how we conceive of the Universe.
Are those days over forever? That’s the question of Cameron Bishop, who observes and inquires:
“To me science has gotten quite complex. We [always hear about the] revolutionaries: the Einsteins and the Newtons. But, would you say these people are a thing of the past? Will new discoveries and new ideas come not from genius individuals but instead groups? I guess I ask this because, the more we know, the more you need to know to make a new discovery.”
Scientific revolutions are still possible. But the bar to achieve one is indeed so high that it’s hard to imagine how a single person could bring it about. Here’s why.
Continued at BIG THINK - Will physics ever see another Einstein or Newton?
I find it interesting as it is something I have wondered about myself. It would be amazing to live in a time when such a thing occurred (another Newton or Einstein and an amazing new revelation that affects the entire world view). But with the way things are in the present day I wonder if anyone would even notice or if such a thing did occur would it be denied and fought tooth and nail to keep everyone ignorant?
STARTS WITH A BANG — JUNE 10, 2022
Will physics ever see another Einstein or Newton?
Ask Ethan: Will physics ever see another Einstein or Newton?
In all of science, no figures have changed the world more than Einstein and Newton. Will anyone ever be as revolutionary again?
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• The two most transformative figures in the history of science have been Newton and Einstein, who fundamentally changed our view of the Universe.
• To bring about the scientific revolutions that they did, they had to radically reformulate the fundamental rules that govern reality, while agreeing with all observations to date and making novel, testable predictions.
• Is such a task too ambitious for 21st century science? Would even the most brilliant mind, even a reincarnated Einstein or Newton himself, be unable to advance our understanding? It's a question worth exploring.
Will physics ever see another Einstein or Newton?
If you ask anyone who the greatest scientist in history was, you’re overwhelmingly likely to come away with two names: Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton. Newton’s greatest achievements were his theories of mechanics -- describing the laws of motion for physical objects -- and of universal gravitation. For over 200 years, Newton’s ideas went unchallenged, until Einstein conceived first of special and then general relativity, superseding and replacing Newton’s ideas for motion and gravity. In all the time since, no other scientist has made even a comparable advance in revolutionizing how we conceive of the Universe.
Are those days over forever? That’s the question of Cameron Bishop, who observes and inquires:
“To me science has gotten quite complex. We [always hear about the] revolutionaries: the Einsteins and the Newtons. But, would you say these people are a thing of the past? Will new discoveries and new ideas come not from genius individuals but instead groups? I guess I ask this because, the more we know, the more you need to know to make a new discovery.”
Scientific revolutions are still possible. But the bar to achieve one is indeed so high that it’s hard to imagine how a single person could bring it about. Here’s why.
Continued at BIG THINK - Will physics ever see another Einstein or Newton?