In science, progress is always made through the process of building on the achievements of others. Even theories that completely change the contours of scientific understanding ? paradigm shifts as the historian of science, Thomas Kuhn, called them ? proceed from the conclusions of previous theories. It is thus difficult to think of Albert Einstein?s achievements without the contribution made by Max Planck; and impossible to evaluate the contribution of Paul Dirac unless it is placed in the context of Einstein?s theories. Progress in scientific thinking is not seamless, there are shifts and discontinuities, but these cannot be understood without the theories from which they radically depart. There is thus something remarkably silly in the attempt to rank scientists according to their contribution. The recent attempt made by the Royal Society to conduct a poll among the general public to find out whether Isaac Newton or Einstein is considered to have made the bigger contribution is an example of how ridiculous such a project can be.

Newton?s discovery of gravity and the laws of motion and of differential calculus (the latter was also worked out by Leibniz, around the same time) were all integral parts of the first great scientific revolution, spearheaded by Copernicus and Tycho Brahe, that broke from Ptolemy?s conception of the universe. This revolution created the framework of modern science. Einstein?s theory of relativity, propounded 100 years ago, broke with many of the conclusions of the pioneers of modern science, especially Newton, and radically altered the understanding of space, time and matter. Modern physics has not been the same since Einstein revolutionized it. An attempt to rank Newton and Einstein is akin to trying to discuss who is the better composer, Johann Sebastian Bach or Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

There is another reason why this comparison is unfortunate. To the layman, Newton is best known as the person who discovered gravity after an apple fell on his head. It is a discovery whose impact is visible every day. Also, all educated people know the law, ?Every action has an equal and opposite reaction,? even if they do not understand it fully. This makes Newton a well-known name. It is possible that if Newton had only discovered differential calculus, he would not have been so popularly known. The case of Einstein is very different. All educated persons know his name but very few, save specialists, understand his theories and their implications. This makes Einstein something of a more distant figure than Newton, who is a much better candidate for the popular vote.

What is ironic is that the Royal Society conducted the survey to increase popular interest in science, since only a handful choose to study mathematics and physics these days. The exercise may have been self-defeating, since the crude effort of trying to rank Newton and Einstein through popular vote is completely against the premises of a scientific temper. Gimmicks cannot advance interest in science.