From a reader named Thomas Kennedy comes the following e-mail:
I am an economics teacher from Alaska. I can personally list my top 10 favorite actors, top 10 favorite living writers, top 10 favorite rock groups, and even my top 10 living economists and top 10 entrepreneurs; but how many out there can name their top 10 living scientists and top 10 living mathematicians?
I wonder what your readership would say.
I have asked my students this question and they look at me in terror. They get to Stephen Hawking and that is it. This is a group of extremely bright A.P. Econ./ A.P. Chem. geeks.
Thomas goes on to bemoan his belief that “within our society, we are more concerned with money and big living … than we are with our scientists and mathematicians.”
I understand where Thomas is coming from, but really: are we to think that kids 20 and 50 and 100 years ago really sat around making up lists of their favorite mathematicians and scientists?
People love lists for lots of reasons. Personally, I like to-do lists because they’re useful, but I hate making “favorite” lists, and in fact couldn’t tell you who my “favorite” writer or musician or ballplayer is, or even my top five. So I guess I’m not a good candidate for Thomas’s exercise.
But maybe you are.
So let’s hear your 10 favorite living scientists, as Thomas requested. Maybe we’ll get to mathematicians another day. And after that, economists. Remember: not necessarily 10 best, but 10 favorite.
If you’re up for it, tell us why you like each of your favorites; a word or three will do. It will also be interesting to see who qualifies as a “scientist” these days.
For some inspiration, you might want to read Nicky Dawidoff‘s very entertaining profile of Freeman Dyson. There are a couple of good Richard Feynman stories in it. If Feynman weren’t dead, I am guessing he would appear on about 90 percent of your lists.
and 
. You can also watch it on 
It is an unfair comparison since the other job categories inherently involve, even require, public notice. I expect that the ten favorite economists lists tend to include people who are primarily public commentators rather than serious researchers.
If we could include dead people I would name Feynman and Shannon but limiting it to people who (I think) are alive:
Favorite mathematicians: Grigory Perelman, Gene Golub, Carl de Boor
Favorite scientist: Edward Witten
Arend Lijphart! The father of electoral systems!
Favorite Living scientists (but not mathematicians)
1. Stepehen Hawking (he does guest spots on The Simpsons!)
2. Oliver Sacks
3. Neil deGrasse Tyson
4. Robert Ballard
5. Dr. Robert “Bob” Bakker,
6. Richard Dawkins
Any more, and I’d have to start looking on the Internet
Favorite Living Mathematicians/Computing Scientists
1. Danica McKellar
2. Donald Knuth
3. Niklaus Wirth
4. Bill Joy (a bit of a reach, I know)
5. Andrew Wiles (solved Fermat’s Last Theorem)
My top 10, in the order they quickly came to mind, not in order of greatness or anything (I’m including economists and mathematicians as scientists, since I think of them as a subset):
1. Friedrich Hayek – His works are the basis for a lot of underrated economic and social thinking.
2. Isaac Newton – For physics and math.
3. Thomas Edison – popularized inventing in my mind, along with his inventions.
4. Benjamin Franklin – Some very useful and practical inventions and discoveries.
5. Albert Einstein – Particularly liked reading his special theory of relativity book and some of his popular quotes.
6. Milton Friedman – I suppose I’m giving away some of my personal economic bias here.
7. Nicolaus Copernicus – For the grasp of his vision.
8. Georg Ohm – My first scientific training was computer electronics, so Ohm’s law holds a special place in my heart.
9. Werner Heisenberg – I’m not totally sure about this one.
10. Maria Montessori – Great for scientific analysis of education.
I could easily have listed another dozen or two, those are just the ones that come to mind immediately. I considered and discarded a bunch more scientists as I was writing it. It’d be a lot harder to make a list of my least favorite scientists.
I could do my favorite authors. A list of my favorite actors would likely be much harder for me, since many of them I know by sight, not really by name.
No argument that I’m not a “typical American” in my reading habits and interests, though.
People have already listed many of my favorites, but I’m shocked there’s been no mention of Stephen Jay Gould.
Dean Kamen.
His bionic arm from TED is awesome.
If we are only to consider those still living:
Richard Dawkins
E.O. Wilson
David Sloan Wilson
Steven Pinker
Leda Cosmedis
John Tooby
Frank Sulloway
Stephen Hawking
Brian Greene
Steven Weinberg
Richard Feynman is my all time favorite scientist…not only was he a genius, but he also played the bongo drums at a local strip club! Talk about being well-rounded….
Carl Sagan is a close second, though…this oddly sexy, pot-smoking astronomer wrote some absolutely brilliant books and essays on many different topics. Best of all, anyone can see that the books are brilliant because they’re written to be understood by those of us who are not scientists. Genius.
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for falling in and out of love (with einstein) that usually defies all forces of gravity and magnetism by example and not by formula..