Maybe that is a loaded question, but my Economics Proffesor just told me that she believes, with all things considered, that Sir Isaac had the biggest impact in the modern humans life.
What do you think?
I agree. We still live in a Newtonian Universe, so far as our daily lives are concerned.
He also invented the kitty door - the hinged flap in a door that allows a cat to pass without the assistance of a human.
What more do you want from one man?
But didn’t Einstein prove his theory wrong?
it is a question of scale
newtonian physics works fine on this planet
between star systems is another story
-Imp
08.24.06.1449
I think there’s a rough tie between Newton and Ben Franklin on who had the biggest impact on modern human life. All things considered, if the man who tamed lightning never existed, we might still be stuck in an 18th or 19th century model of society. Seriously, you only have to go so far to see how much a life without electricity changes everything about the way you live.
My vote is with Franklin.
I think Einstein only showed exeptions to Sir Isaac Newton’s rules
A good begining is half the work. Newton began it and did close to 80% of the work.
I think we forget the best scientist/ inventor was Tomas Edison. Hey made a boat out of concrete! huh? huh?
anyway, I think Newton and Einstein ideas and logic are to closed, they can’t fit all the way together. You need both when dealing with quantum mechanics. I really don’t understand quantum mechanics that well, it is very strange. By their logic, if I run full force at a brick wall, the probablity of me going through it are the same as me smashing my face angainst the very soild wall…
-Guy
that’s not an issue, smooth 
every scientific theory is bound to be proven wrong or inadequate some day… that’s the beauty of it
Cool.
Wasn’t there an article on either Discovery Magazine or Time Magaizine within the last umm… three weeks stating that someone proved that Einsteins Theory of Relativity is wrong? I’ve been trying to find it, but maybe somebody read it.
I think it was a Discover article about Modified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND). It doesn’t prove Einstein wrong (that would make the front page of any newspaper), it’s just an alternative theory that’s trying to get some people interested in it.
bastards, I really thought something really cool happened and they would have to change textbooks. I got a bit ahead of myself. Thanks for clarifying that.
Hi Aporia,
I enjoyed the article on MOND.
However in the last issue of Newsweek (I think) there was a big spread on the death of a planet - Pluto. Tucked in at the very in of the article it casually states that someone at the University of Arizona has come up with evidence for the existence of dark matter.
This is actually a very big deal because MOND would fall back into its previous obscurity if true and GR would regain some of its past glory.
New (strong) evidence of the existence of Dark Matter has really got MOND on the ropes. It seems likely that there’s something to it, but maybe not what he was hoping.
Daniel C. Dennet makes a good case for Darwin being the most important scientist in history. Maybe he’s right. I think you can make a good case for Archimedes, Darwin, & Einstein.