Most famous scientist query

[mandragora]

Who would any of you say is the most famous scientist - after Einstein - of all time. If you were to say that someone is so brilliant that they could be the next Einstein or [ ]. Who would the 'or' be?

For me the name that immediately springs to mind is Newton. But is that because I'm British? What if you're American? Or Canadian? Or any other nationality, come to that. (Yes, it is for a story). I mean, Newton is much venerated in Britain, but that could be partly because he was one hell of a self-publicist.

The other name I think of is Hawking. But, again, he's a Brit and he has the whole crippled genius thing going on, which makes him much more visible to the public's eye than your usual scientific type. I mean, to produce anything at all, let alone a best-selling book, when fighting against a recalcitrant body is amazing in and of itself and I don't know whether the calibre of his work is *that* well received by those who can actually critique it. Which most definitely doesn't include me (there's a reason I'm a lawyer and not involved in any type of work where scientific know-how is usually required).

Anyhow, all comments very welcome.

ETA And... we have a winner. That's four for four. Newton it is. Thank you all for your comments - very much appreciated.

Comments

[elistaire.livejournal.com]

Watson and Crick.
DNA, it has changed everything about how we understand ourselves and how we think about biology, and has extended itself into matters of law.

[filenotch.livejournal.com]

Same for me: Watson and Crick. I was stymied by the singular scientist requirement.

Half the pair is British, so there you go.

Oh, and I thought of James Clerk Maxwell before Newton.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Ah, there writes the biologist. The character is an astrophyicist, though, so I suspect that he'll be thinking of a physicist. Maxwell is a great choice, except that I suspect many readers won't get the point - I wouldn't, if I hadn't looked him up. Yes, I really *am* shockingly ignorant when it comes to science.

Oooh, whilst writing, how are you on the behaviour of virii (viruses?). I have one as a plot point and want to know whether what I'm thinking is vaguely plausible. If you're willing to help, it would be much appreciated.

[filenotch.livejournal.com]

Sure I'll help. You know the edress.

[mandragora1.livejournal.com]

Interesting choices. And thanks for reminding me of them.

But the character in question is an astrophysicist who has been known to comment that medicine is not *real* science. He's talking to a medical doctor who is a leading geneticist at this point. So, I suspect he'd be a bit sniffy about them (he's such a snob, at times).

[filenotch.livejournal.com]

Well, speaking as a biomedical scientist, the practice of medicine isn't so much a science as an art. Many MDs would argue the point. There is good clinical research and such, so your geneticist is probably doing science in that field, just not while s/he's treating patients. IMnvHO.