satt comments on Productivity as a function of ability in theoretical fields - Less Wrong

14 Post author: Stefan_Schubert 26 January 2014 01:16PM

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Comment author: satt 29 January 2014 11:54:32PM *  1 point [-]

I'm not sure I would agree with the premise that Aristotle is less important than Einstein. [...]

My physics-centric bias is showing! I was comparing Aristotle-as-physicist to Einstein, not comparing Aristotle-as-all-round-smart-guy to Einstein, and I should've consciously realized that's what I was doing.

Also, there's no finite set of important solvable problems. Today, the available solvable problems may or may not be in physics, but there are plenty on other fields.

I wonder how many of those big, solvable problems there are. It's not clear there are any (more) big unifying theories to be had in, say, macroeconomics or sociology. What would it mean to be a 21st century Einstein of one of those fields, I wonder?

Comment author: [deleted] 02 February 2014 01:47:17PM 0 points [-]

I wonder how many of those big, solvable problems there are. It's not clear there are any (more) big unifying theories to be had in, say, macroeconomics or sociology. What would it mean to be a 21st century Einstein of one of those fields, I wonder?

I'd start by looking at these lists.

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