Throughout history we have been blessed with
some great thinkers, people who have started a train of thought that others
could not have envisioned before them. Below are some of the scientists I feel
have shown themselves to be the greatest thinkers in history; people who have
lead the way for others to follow.
Sir Isaac Newton
Perhaps the most
brilliant scientist ever, Newton was a master of many fields of science and
mathematics. He made breakthroughs in fields including astronomy and
philosophy, but is probably better known for his work with gravitation and laws
of motion. Between his own laws and the laws laid down by Kepler, he showed the
world the reasoning behind why planets moved as they did and objects fell to
earth. Many people think that his Philosophae Naturalis Principia Mathematician
is the greatest scientific book ever written, and took Newton years to
complete. Sir Isaac could have made this list many times over, but putting him
at the top of my list should be enough for this truly influential man.
Leonardo da Vinci
Although more famous for
his works of art, such as the Mona Lisa and the Adoration of the Magi, da Vinci
was also an inventor and thinker who was far ahead of his time. His scientific
contributions were mainly theoretical at the time, but being able to envisage
tanks and helicopters shows the vision he had. He also was one of the first to
appear to understand the human circulatory system and plate tectonics. Leonardo
da Vinci was a visionary who was too far ahead of his time to see his thinking
enter the mainstream, but still ranks as one of the greatest thinkers in
history.
Albert Einstein
As child who
underachieved at school, Albert Einstein certainly made up for it in later
life. Einstein revolutionized science, and made us look at the physical world
through different eyes. This genius who wrote 300 scientific works, contributed
theories including the Special Theory of Relativity and the Quantum Theory,
both of which had far reaching implications. The fact that is probably
the most famous equation in the world, and the term Einstein is now used to
denote intelligence, shows the impact this great thinker has had.
Charles Darwin
No scientist caused more
controversy with their work than Charles Darwin. His theories as laid
out in On the Origin of
Species by Means of Natural Selection, put forward an argument that disputed
the truth of Man as created by God; and this caused uproar around the world.
But his study of how life has developed has been shown to be a truth that
cannot be denied. He argued that natural selection had driven the development
of all living things, and felt this explained the differences between species
that lived in different habitats. The debate may have raged for years, but in
the end Darwins work has been revered as a brilliant piece of thinking backed
up with research.
These men of science
were ahead of their time, and showed us that real thinkers will find the truth
no matter what the current thinking is. Being able to think outside the box and
then prove your theory is the measure of true brilliance.
Author Bio:
Cheryl Mollan, the
author of this post, is an avid blogger and works for Omega Scientific Pty
Ltd., supplier sof laboratory equipment. In her spare time, she likes reading biographies.