Worst Scientists Ever

[Brick]

In no particular order:

1) Aristotle

His views dominated in Europe for 18 centuries in spite the fact that almost everything he said turned out to be wrong. His greatest act of stupidity was propagating the idea that experiments are unnecessary.

2) Freud

He never cured anybody, never did any experiments, and built elaborate theories based on untestable claims.

3) Lysenko

He dismissed Mendelian genetics in favor of his own crackpot ideas, which devastated Soviet agriculture and set back biology decades in his country.

4) Paul Ehrlich

For over 40 years, this entomologist and doomsayer has predicted massive starvation, which is peculiar since the world's population has kept on increasing and is expected to increase by another 2 billion over the next 50 years.

[psychodiva]

[Sternwallow]

I would like to add Socrates among the worst for the fraudulent method of investigation promoted in his name.

The questions of Socrates to the supposedly ignorant slave were presented to show that, with appropriate introspection, the sophisticated knowledge was already known by the slave. In fact, the Socratic method only works if the questioner already knows all of the right answers and can manipulate the slave into seeming to know things. It is almost a case of reverse cold reading, in which the questioner uses inquiring wording to tell the subject the information.

In short, the Socratic method is a teaching technique and not an inquiry technique as it is billed.

[Sternwallow]

psychodiva wrote

Ditto

[Choobus]

I agree with you Sterny, but I never really thought the Socratic method was supposed to be one of investigation or inquiry, only one of showing up hypocrites and/or assholes, for which I really like it.

In any case, you can't blame Socrates. Since he never wrote anything down he can't be accused fraud (except perhaps by those with whom he actually spoke). You can blame Plato I guess.

[Sternwallow]

I wanted to blame Plato but someone pointed out to me that it was called the "Socratic Method" and not "Platonic Pedantry". I realize that this situation is as unjust as calling ALS "Lou Gherig's" disease.

[Sol]

Sternwallow wrote

I wanted to blame Plato but someone pointed out to me that it was called the "Socratic Method" and not "Platonic Pedantry". I realize that this situation is as unjust as calling ALS "Lou Gherig's" disease.

But one must appreciate that particular type of irony.........

[Eva]

Galen


and calpurnpiso.

[Smellyoldgit]

Whoever it was that wrote this shite ...

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth ....... etc

[dogpet]

Justus von Liebig, without who's meddling we may never have spat out Marmite.

[Smellyoldgit]

[Kate]

You're disgusting.

[Smellyoldgit]

So - not a Peat Bog Jelly fan then?

[ILOVEJESUS]

Darwin. Now schools have to struggle to teach children that we all were made from the gas of a whales fart or whatever creationism actually goes on about. I would much rather women were made from one of my testicles or whatever the story goes.
And Stephen Hawkin for inventing the cartwheel.

[Kate]

Smellyoldgit wrote

So - not a Peat Bog Jelly fan then?