What makes a great scientist?
Understanding that the true breakthroughs come from having a wider perspective on many fields, rather than being a specialist in one field. Science is a division of labors started long ago by the Greeks. It divides knowledge up into little categories and sends different people to do different things. It is like sending a bunch of dogs into a forest, each one of them to bark up a different tree. Someone who sticks to their own tree can be a good scientist and make significant contributions and be honored in their field. But if you want to be a great scientist, you have to be able to think from the perspective of many fields, to walk around and see many of the trees. The ones who can do that can get an idea of what the forest itself is like. They are the leaders and will have the most far-reaching ideas. You also have to be able to think in unscientific ways. That comes from the fundamental truth that not all knowledge is scientific, there are some things science can’t even attempt to ex
