Unappreciated and Underrepresented Essay -- Science, Theories, Newton

On the most basic level, there are two faces of science: the creation of theories and the application of theories. The work of Sir Isaac Newton and much of the early work of Niels Bohr dealt with the theoretical aspects of science. Their research embodies humanity’s efforts to understand the laws of nature, which would still exist even without the theorists that study them. Much of the work of Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Delambre, Pierre Franà §ois Andrà © Mechain and John Harrison’s efforts were attempts at utilizing key concepts developed from theorists towards practical applications for the benefit of humanity. Their efforts would be irrelevant without humanity because they are tailored to the needs of the human race. The scientists that deal with theories will subsequently be defined as theorists while scientists that deal with the application of theories will be defined as applied scientists. Although the theoretical work of Bohr and Newton changed the way in which peop le view the laws of nature, it is the works of applied scientists such as Delambre, Mechain, and Harrison that changed the lives of people on a global scale. Due to the more revolutionary nature of applied science, it is imperative for teachers of all school systems to recognize and teach the effects of applied scientists when discussing science. Newton shook the scientific foundations in his time with profound theoretical work. In the field of mathematics, he worked within the realm of the infinite and independently developed calculus, the quintessential language of science, economics, and engineering (Gleick 39). In Opticks, he discovered many essential properties of light such as the idea that light can act as a particle or that white light is a combination of multip... ...k of the theorists, but it is important to note that the reverse is true as well. These theories would have little to no impact on human affairs without the work of applied scientists to make a practical application of them. While theories may change the way the world is seen by humanity, it is the application of these theories that truly revolutionizes human affairs. We find that science is often taught with praise of Newton and Bohr for their contributions to science, despite the fact that the works of applied scientists like Delambre, Mechain, Harrison and Thomson did far more to benefit mankind. If Newton’s immortal quote â€Å"If I had seen further, it is only by standing on the shoulder of giants† (Gleick 25) were altered for the sake of this paper, it would be: if theorists held an impact on humanity, it is only by standing on the shoulder of applied scientists.