Is it realistic to become the best physicist of all time?

[revnaknuma]

I want to become the best physicist of all times.
is this unrealistic?

 

[JaredJames]

Yes it is.

 

[Togli]

I suppose "wanting to be the best" itself is the greatest obstacle to be really the best. The best just happens to be...

 

[Gnosis]

I want to become the best physicist of all times.
is this unrealistic?

Respectfully, the nature of your aspiration circumvents the greatest purpose in becoming a physicist, that purpose being, discovery and greater depth in applying physics principles presently perceived as fully comprehended.

The title of exalting prominence for which you deem desirous will, in all probability, remain a subjective matter, as polls continually reveal a multitude of physicists who have been selected as “the best physicist of all times” by the individuals participating in such polls and rightfully so, as no single physicist presented all that is presently known, rather, it is the culmination of contributions by countless physicists that have directed humanity’s path on its present course of enlightenment.

 

[G01]

I want to become the best physicist of all times.
is this unrealistic?

Yes. It's also not really possible. Physics is advanced by a community, with some members making larger contributions, but no one member independent of the rest.

 

[S_Happens]

You could start by limiting it to "best physicist that inhabits my body" and maybe eventually expand from there.

In general it's a silly notion, although yearning to be good at physics for advancement of physics itself or having a passion for physics is a good thing.

 

[jobyts]

I want to become the best physicist of all times.

That could be a paradox. When you become the best physicist, you may realize that the definition of time is not what you thought it was(?).

 

[diligence]

i seriously doubt any of the people who might be considered the "best physicist of all time" ever had such a silly notion as this. In fact, i'll go as far to say that most who have this notion will never even BE a physicist to begin with.

 

[SamirS]

It's also much less possible today to make Einstein- or Newton-like contributions to physics. So much more stuff is known for pretty much sure and with the complexity of even very niche fields of research, you can be quite happy if you contribute something important at all.

Before Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Maxwell & co. understanding of space and time was pretty much wrong. After them, you can calibrate our view and improve its accuracy, but the chance that our physics is fundamentally wrong is next to nonexistent.

 

[SamirS]

It's also much less possible today to make Einstein- or Newton-like contributions to physics. So much more stuff is known for pretty much sure and with the complexity of even very niche fields of research, you can be quite happy if you contribute something important at all.

Before Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Maxwell & co. understanding of space and time was pretty much wrong. After them, you can calibrate our view and improve its accuracy, but the chance that our physics is fundamentally wrong is next to nonexistent.

 

[pergradus]

My goal is the be the worst physicist who still won a Nobel prize.

Think I can do it?

 

[JaredJames]

My goal is the be the worst physicist who still won a Nobel prize.

Think I can do it?

Well I've already got one in mind for that prize, it would take something special to beat them. I shan't name them as it would be a personal insult.

 

[KingNothing]

I want to become the best physicist of all times.
is this unrealistic?

Yes.

 

[Newai]

I think a good goal would be to reach a point where you inspire others to pursue physics. Make a difference in someone's life that way and you'll be at the least what all physicists should be.

You could start by limiting it to "best physicist that inhabits my body" and maybe eventually expand from there.

In that case, isn't revnaknuma already there?

 

[micromass]

\begin{rant}
What is it people who want to be the best all the time. What happened to "I want to be a physicist because I enjoy it..." I think trying to be the best in physics in kind of counterproductive, because you refuse to see your mistakes all the time. And those people become crackpots. You don't want to be a crackpot, rev...
\end{rant}

 

[ZapperZ]

I want to become the best physicist of all times.
is this unrealistic?

If that is your reason to want to be a physicist, I don't think you'll even make it to just being a physicist, much less, the "best physicist of all times".

Physics is too difficult to do for the wrong reasons. And you have the wrong reason.

Zz.

 

[Dr Lots-o'watts]

I want to become the best physicist of all times

For the sake of discussion... why?

 

[Jimmy Snyder]

Not while I'm around.

 

[Pythagorean]

Don't listen to all the haters, once you become level seven physicist, you can challenge the master in your region to a duel to the death and if you win, you get the local title.

Then to become a grandmaster, you must first reach level 11 and slay a dragon without using the electromagnetic force.

Finally, you must challenge and defeat one and only grandmaster of physics (not sure if it's Chuck Norris or Charlie Sheen).

The rumor is that there are no dragons anymore, but good luck on your quest adventurer!

 

[rootX]

Don't disclose your intentions so early ...

 

[jobyts]

I want to become the best physicist of all times.
is this unrealistic?

You could do it 2 simple steps:

First you become the second best physicist.
Next, you need to kill me.

One of those steps must be easy.

 

[randomperson8]

Yo OP I'm really happy for you, and I'll let you finish, but Einstein was the best physicist of all time!

 

[blade123]

Just do your thing, man. Go to school, study, learn what you can. Enjoy the road. A much more realistic goal would be "I want to be a good enough physicist to support myself and a family, while still studying something I love".

 

[bonker]

I want to become the best physicist of all times.
is this unrealistic?

It's not a competition.