Is Einstein The Last Great Genius?

Major breakthroughs in science have historically been the province of individuals, not institutes. Galileo and Copernicus, Edison and Einstein, toiling away in lonely labs or pondering the cosmos in private studies.

But in recent decades - especially since the Soviet success in launching the Sputnik satellite in 1957 - the trend has been to create massive institutions that foster more collaboration and garner big chunks of funding.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[Artillery MKV]

This was an inane article. Equating think tanks with the downfall of the 'celebrity genius' is a complete fabrication of the author's fevered imagination.

To be clear, an individual genius innovates. The group of very smart people implements and streamlines.

A genius is no longer a star because of our social proclivity to discard mental achievements. The confounding issue is that most of the great thinkiers of our time are refining ideas within other thinker's concepts. Further confounding is that most of our great thinkers are not extroverted personalities.

Einstein was unusual in that he completely overturned the established realm of thought, was an extremely charismatic and extroverted speaker with a compelling personal story.

He was a news story personified.

[Canuknotusa]

"Is" Einstein the last genius?

Well, he probably understood tense better than some blog writers, at least...

[txcowboy77]

Kerry Mullis who thought up PCR during recreational drug use and then made it happen when back down to earth was a genius. Without PCR molecular genetics would still be in its infancy.

[michaelescher]

I believe if the author of this article would have done his/her research they would have realized that the last true genius chased roadrunners.

Wile E. Coyote was not only a genius, but a Super Genius.

[UltraClassic]

True. And he also was a customer in good standing with ACME products, always eager to test and apply new concepts in his quest for Mr. Roadrunner.

[kellygrrrl]

if Einstein were alive to see the BushAdministration he would .... (fill in the blank)

[firelord5000]

Nothing, he saw far worse, IE Nazis.

[UltraClassic]

Nice to see someone put "Bush Hate" in perspective firelord. He was bad, but not that bad.

[miamia]

I am a genius, living in obscurity.

[firelord5000]

you are me?

[Nyland8]

I am obscurity ... living in a genius.

8~

[Teadye]

I think the headline here should be "Is Einstein the last superstar celebrity genius?" Geniuses of his caliber exist in the pretty much the same proportion as always but they are no longer marketed to the public in the same way as they were in ages past. Add to that a true media bias against intellect and education, and it seems to me it's more of a question of media corporate sales strategies than reality. You need go no farther than the content on the Discovery, History and Science channels to see the problem. If it isn't political, pornographic, supernatural or criminal they are convinced it won't sell... despite record-setting viewer numbers when a real science show airs (once in a blue moon.)

[Mikeeee]

How did Edison get on that list? Where is Newton, Tesla or a few others?

[UltraClassic]

Edison tinkered and ultimately showed himself to be a stubborn man when he refused to admit the advantages of generating AC rather than DC power for public utility use.

He was not a thinker on the line of Newton, no doubt.

[ThunderDolt]

How could Einstein be the last great genius? My mother always told me that I was one. Hmmm, Let me think......

[ChicagoSuz]

I'm a genius...

(Sorry, guys... that was in case someone from the MacArthur Awards happened to be reading this blog. My retirement plan is to win their Genius Award... ;-)

[StillAmused]

According to much of the lazy, stenographic press, the insipid Karl Rove qualifies.

A more salient question: Who was the last great journalist?

[ChicagoSuz]

maybe in a Lex Luthor sort of way... ;-)

[chaos4700]

Well, there's Sy Hersh and Greg Palast -- although Palast now works for the BBC. But of course, barely anyone knows about either of them, in spite of their work. Which is exactly the case with geniuses and virtuosos. As has been pointed out by many other people on this thread, there is no respect in the United States for academic skill, artistic talent, or critical thinking. I would go so far as to say our culture has been engineered -- by marketing firms, broadcasting companies and various other media outlets -- to denigrate those values in favor of promoting politically harmless attributes, like sports talent or good looks. When's the last time there was a televised award ceremony honoring a local community activist, a medical researcher or a musical performer that didn't have a contract with a mainstream recording company?

[957]

Bush gotta be right up there...no?

[itsthemedication]

"A 35-year study in 2006, which looked at mathematically gifted children to see what they ended up doing with their lives, revealed the next Einstein might be a baby now, or perhaps is yet to be born."

This is indeed a breathtaking study. He "next" could be a baby, maybe yet to be born," but why not cover all the bases, and included a toddler, pre-teen, or teenager?

Does anyone know the address for the "committee that will fund any stupid-ass study?" I have some ideas.

[elimenez]

Vinton Serf, Respect!! He invented the internet, that without him none of us would be having this discussion!

[chaos4700]

Somewhere out there, a Republican has just jerked his knee and shouted "Al Gore!" at the top of his lungs.

[txcowboy77]

Don't forgot, Al Gore was badly misquoted. And he did, in fact, lead the fight in congress to get the internet set up based on what the military had accomplished.

[BrianGlanz]

A related question -- will this be the last time a stumped writer cries the end of something fundamental or its inverse, the beginning of something fundamentally flawed? Sadly, no. Aside from demands for material when real stories aren't easy, it is irresistible to chance being the first to have told you so when somehow, war does end or history does die or even that e-paper and e-books really have arrived. Live Science has certainly done better, but on the upside this did raise some interesting commentary.