von Neumann. Not just because of the depth of his knowledge and his many, many accomplishments in mathematics and computer science, but because of the extraordinary breadth and range of his intellect as well. He had what amounts to total mastery of not just his own chosen scientific disciplines, but was at or above that level in literally dozens of other fields. Certainly while he was alive, and probably throughout all of history, he had the most "comprehensive" grasp of the totality of (contemporaneously available) human scientific understanding versus any other single individual. His ability to integrate new knowledge and also to clearly and concisely break down concepts to other people were a result of this breadth-- He could immediately adapt whatever the concept in question was to the learner, because his knowledge of other fields allowed him to map out a route to understanding that was tailored to the individual's own intellectual foundation, rather than simply repeating a formula. This might not seem super impressive, because that's what tutors and teachers do all the time, but the difference with von Neumann is simply the level of understanding we're talking about. There are several examples in biographies of von Neumann that describe incidents where scientists considered the best in their respective fields would have their own work advanced or difficult problems these individuals were grappling with were easily and comprehensively solved on the spot by von Neumann in casual conversation. Not even a scratch pad or a slide rule. He'd literally complete or solve, ENTIRELY IN HIS HEAD, cutting edge scientific problems posed by his contemporaries, viciously difficult questions that these people worked daily to tackle, and do this in MULTIPLE disparate fields that didn't even really closely relate to his own research topics. To break down von Neumann's strengths: 1- His own massive and epochal discoveries in mathematics and computer science (comp sci would be decades behind where it is now sans von Neumann) 2- Extraordinary depth AND breadth of knowledge in many fields (legendary status in a several fields, world- or global-class status in many fields simultaneously) 3- Combination of crystallized and fluid intelligence as well as high communication ability, even being world-class at 1 of these 3 things is rare, he was unquestionably world-class in all 3 4- Prodigious computational ability (somewhat overlaps with his aforementioned high fluid intelligence, but computational ability is a specific subset of intelligence that combines several areas of intelligence, including both crystallized and fluid intellect, but also incorporates other sensory areas, this makes it worth mentioning. The way I like to think of it is that he was both a graphing calculator and Wikipedia in one, both able to execute complex problems mentally, but also able to compare and organize data sets from across disciplines on top of that) My other pick, and it would be a pretty distant second, would probably be Leibniz.
@@applewoodcourt Seven languages? Didn't know that. He apparently also had a photographic memory and one could open a book he was familiar with and ask, eg, what's on page such and such, and he could simply begin reciting.
Newton. Every time I learn more about Newton, the more amazed I am as to what he did. It’s impossible to overstate what Newton accomplished with respect to his time.
at the same time Newton was a religious freak who spent most of his time trying to find encoded secret messages in the Bible and who was obsessed with alchemy. His contributions to science are incredible and a huge gift to humanity, but I dont know if he's the guy you'd want talking to the aliens
@@quiddam That's a you problem of being athiest, that being as you say a so-called "religous freak." Tpyical Zathiests in their delusion, if you aren't one of us you cannot be consireded the best or something as the lines of that.
It is obviously John Von Neumann. His teacher in college, George Polya, relates the story of the time when he was explaining to his students some previously unsolved problem in mathematics. Von Neumann stared into the distance for five minutes, then calmly walked to the blackboard and wrote down the proof. According to Polya, "Johnny was the only student I was afraid of."
@@CO8848_2 IQ and creativity are two different things. To be a great scientist, you need some of both. According to Eugene Wigner, everyone around them agreed that Von Neumann was cleverer than Einstein, but also that Einstein's ideas were more profound. The smartest teacher I had at university was a mediocrity as a (publishing) scientist.
@@jussihamalainen7692 It is clear that you don't understand what Einstein did. It is not "creativity", it is, however, more profound. You can say whatever about "cleverer", it has no meaning in the context of what they actually did. The world is full of clever people who do not measure up.
@@CO8848_2 It's hard to say what Von Neumann might have done had Newton not preceeded him. He might have invented both along and then come up with Maxwell's equations for dessert.
Da Vinci made advances in multiple disciplines, including anatomy, such as identifying arteriosclerosis and discovering the atria and certain valves of the heart (and their behaviors), as well as groundbreaking graphic illustrations in the field; in aeronautics, he basically invented a glider that was reconstructed in modern times and flown successfully; in mechanics, he anticipated Newton’s 3rd law of motion; in botany, he discovered the growth rings of trees; in geology, he was among the pioneers who sensed the earth was much, much older than the Biblical 6000 years-he also made discoveries in fluid dynamics, optics and acoustics-and much more can be said, including that he wrote this lone sentence in one of his his notebooks: “The sun does not move,” although he elaborated no further. And on top of it all, some credit him with the most innovations in painting by a single artist. The problem is that, for reasons scholars still without a diffinitive explanation, da Vinci never published any of his findings. Although there is evidence that copies were made of his notebooks that circulated in some major European cities. Considering the breadth of fields he covered, da Vinci must be considered one of the greatest thinkers ever-and, note, he was largely self-taught, a self-made genius, so to speak.
Quote from one genius about other geniuses: “I have known a great many intelligent people in my life. I knew Max Planck, Max von Laue, and Wemer Heisenberg. Paul Dirac was my brother-in-Iaw; Leo Szilard and Edward Teller have been among my closest friends; and Albert Einstein was a good friend, too. And I have known many of the brightest younger scientists. But none of them had a mind as quick and acute as Jancsi von Neumann. I have often remarked this in the presence of those men, and no one ever disputed me. [...] But Einstein's understanding was deeper than even Jancsi von Neumann's. His mind was both more penetrating and more original than von Neumann's. And that is a very remarkable statement. Einstein took an extraordinary pleasure in invention. Two of his greatest inventions are the Special and General Theories of Relativity; and for all of Jancsi's brilliance, he never produced anything so original.” - Wigner (Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963)
This reminds me of the story of how the "dead parrot" sketch was created by John Cleese and Graham Chapman. John Cleese had written a sketch about not being able to return an obviously defective toaster in a department store and read it to Graham Chapman, who said "that's boring make it parrot instead." And with the little tiny bit of insight one of the greatest bits of comedy was born. John Cleese had the idea and did all the work but Graham Chapman's observation made it great.
@@Daveyboyz1978 Of course you don't know what I'm talking about. That's why you're so ignorant about this man's sexual behaviour. Do you think he was married to this woman for decades from youth till she died in old age?
Come on.... definitely Euler!!!! No doubt! His contribution to how to study the universe dwarfs that of anybody else! Respects to Von Neumann and Newton of course...
Leonardo Da Vinci!! He was a master polymath: inventor, musician, scientist, artist, engineer, strategist, architect, etc.... His thirst for intellectual knowledge was unquenchable!! He is considered the highest form of intellectual expression who has ever lived!!
Physicist Edward Teller on "Johnny" Von Neumann: "He could, and did, talk to my three year-old son... on his own terms! I sometimes wondered whether his relations to the rest of us were a little bit similar."
I’m surprised no one mentioned Leonardo Da Vinci as someone who is the smartest or at least one of the smartest people ever. If you do your research, he’s the most brilliant “pound for pound” person to ever exist hands down.
He is ordinary when compared to Newton. Newton's math/physics is out of league of Leonardo. Leonardo was multi-talented but he was far below Newton's class.
@@critical_analysis if we’re speaking strictly about math & science, then I agree with you. But DaVinci was the original Renaissance man, a literal universal genius of unparalleled proportions who contributed to more fields than Newton.
@@BrockLanders Yeah, I read about him but I am really not sure, if his contributions impacted in any fundamental way to the sciences. He was a genius in art, a polymath but I am afraid his scientific contributions are not at a level compared to his art works. He built ingenious designs some worked, some couldn't and was industrious. In my view, Isaac Newton was/is the greatest scientific genius who ever lived. No wonder, even the mighty Gauss was in awe of him, so was Laplace and Lagrange. Even, Bernoulli a sort of Newton hater couldn't resist praising the genius of Newton.
@@critical_analysisNewton lived two hundred years after Da Vinci so expecting him to make the same discoveries as Newton is ridiculous. Da Vinci was much father ahead of his contemporaries than was Newton. De Vinci’s inventions two hundred year before Newton were far ahead of Newton. Than add in his art. Newton was a idiot savant compared to the breadth of Da Vinci’s genius.
On IQ terms my vote is for John von Neumann, the man was a freaking beast on speed, then are people 200+ IQ and geniuses such as Gauss, Archimedes, Newton, Euler, etc. On genius: Einstein, Godel, Ramanujan, Mozart, etc.
It's difficult to ascertain an IQ for creative arts, like how smart was Mozart. It's muich less complex for physicists and mathematicians, however complex still. If you are smart beyonf the comperehension of others, there stands a risk you will never be heard let alone acknowledged. If you are grounded with the times and still smart then it might become something that the rest will benefit from.
Tesla was in fact one of the most brilliant, but he was different compared to John von Neumann. Probably Tesla was a 200+ IQ person and more creative even than von Neumann. But on IQ terms Johnny was so fast, nobody is close to him. Of course, there are anothers geniuses. Ramanujan is tough to beat in math creativity: even he was compared with Euler, Gauss or even better by Hardy. Ramanujan: probably the most creative mathematician. He said that the goddess namagiri told him the solutions in dreams.
Eratostenes was a brilliant Greek scientist. But 2,200 years worth of knowledge and information will b too much for him to handle. He calculated the earth circumsference and axial tilt with incredible accuracy. He believed the other planets orbited the sun and even said planet earth is not the only one with life. Whoever the United Nations chose, Carl Sagan would be a great assistant.
"But 2,200 years worth of knowledge and information will b too much for him to handle." - On the other hand, that 2.2K years of human knowledge would be asymptotically near-zero measured against the capacity of beings that could traverse tens/hundreds/thousands of lightyears of space. In that context, our immature human "knowledge" might be completely irrelevant. "Intellect", on the other hand, might be the only special sauce with any hope of problem-solving the communication barrier. Knowledge is a prisoner of its time. Intellect adapts to the variables with which it's presented.
Erathostenes had a fantastic mind that still holds up to any genuine genius of our time, but I'd personally offer the Syracusan polymath Archimedes as my vote for the smartest mind of all antiquity. His numerous inventions, calculations, and contributions to a variety of different topics truly set him apart amongst all but the most brilliant minds in human history. Archimedes is truly one of the metaphorical titans upon whose shoulders and contributions to the sciences we now upon stand
I'm surprised no one mentioned Aristotle. He was wrong about a lot of things from the stand point of modern science, and yet he laid down the foundation of inquiry that led to science developing in Europe. It's also worth noting that the ideas of Aristotle and Euclid held ground longer than probably anyone in history.
Isaac Newton hands down. I truly believe that if he were alive today his IQ would be incalculable. He was truly an enigma. The kind of intelligence that comes around once in a few handfuls of generations, and needs to be lucky enough to have been born in the right place to have proper influence and adequate resources to be utilized. An absolute hyper-genius. He was also well known to have been extremely odd and most likely autistic.
John Von Neumann was certainly more intelligent, he was not only a great mathematician and computer scientist, but he helped people from all sorts of professions to solve terribly complex problems, in economics for example. Newton was unbelievable as well but Neumann had the same depth as newton with much more breadth to his knowledge.
And he has good humor. I wouldn't mind even Tyson speaking with aliens. People with good communication skills,good humor, influence, and understanding. Tyson rings a bell
Similar to watching physical greatness on the baseball Diamond, football field, soccer pitch, golf course, etc….it is also humbling and FUN to listen to intellectual greatness, like these two guys!!!
When I was a small kid, my greatest wish was for a time machine. Both to go to the past, simply for my own curiosity, but also to bring folks forward & blow their minds with modern plumbing & etc. I’m the furthest thing from a scientist. I just like history, and everything that involves our weird concepts of time. I nominate NdeGT for meeting our next alien. Communication & broad open-mindedness would be key. Also chill.
For the sake of argument, entire nations were afraid of the Greeks because of Archimedes, and we still talk about him. I'm sure we could we could catch him up on things pretty quick. Just a thought, don't berate me please. And I'm not completely sure a scientist is the only option, someone like Mark Twain, or Shakespeare, or Voltaire could represent and prove our intelligence. They could just bring a book voted on by the scientific community to present our "findings". Those guys are are much better conversationalists, Newton may get boring telling them things I assume they would already know.
Its Da Vinci. There have been geniuses throughout history, but they're geniuses in a particular field. Da Vinci was a genius in many fields. He didnt have much influence because he never published his notebook's, but his brilliance is there for us to observe now.
...this is the correct answer...he was brilliant in multiple fields. A lot of pure mathematicians/ physicists being mentioned here. Maths, physics, engineering, art, architecture, humor......
Bullshit. Most of stories surrounding da Vinci is myth. Made up fables with no actual records. Modern scientific community were never able to replicate or extend his findings. Because they don't exist in reality other than fanboys forum. Same applies to Tesla as well. These are urban legends to sell books and get video views. These kind of forgetten geniuses stories have high emotional and shock values.
Yes, the ultimate polymath, he is the best answer to this question. Not necessarily who is the biggest genius with the biggest contributions, but who would represent the best of humanity, not just math and science but the arts as well.
Huygens was the son of a diplomat and invented mathematical physics, as well as a leader in the worldrenowned physics society in France at the day. He had the chops to communicate, being able to train Leibniz to superstardom math levels as well
It depends whether the alien civilization acts with emotion or conforms to the mistress that is modern science. Either way, I'd be rooting for Feynman to take them to a gentlemen's bar and solve the problem there; maybe incorporate some Bongo or Tuvan throat singing. Von Neumann would be pretty stumped in that scenario
Isaac Newton is considered the greatest scientist of all time. who studed math and physics knows his influence in science, for example the law of gravity is everywhere in physics, the world we know now, it will not be exist without the work of Newton. After him is Bernhard Riemann.
Had Newton never been born, Leibniz would have been the person credited with inventing calculus, Galileo with the laws of motion and gravity, and Kepler would be the famous optician. Celestial mechanics would have been viewed as coming from both Leibniz and Kepler. In other words, it is the Anglocentric view on the history of science that really elevates Newton to god status. I'm not saying he wasn't a genius, but it is preposterous to say that without him we wouldn't have the modern physics we have today. The role of the individual was not that great in the era of the scientific revolution, and his achievements and discoveries would have been merely postponed for several years or decades had he not lived.
What a stupid statement of yours is. Read some stuff man, Leibniz himself was in awe of Newton. Gauss and Lagrange said there was none smarter than Newton. He was the greatest intellect.
Newtonian discoveries would have been delayed by decades had he not lived? I think you mean centuries mate. And who gives a fuck about newtons ethnicity? You're the only one who brought up him being anglo, super intelligence is available to all races and tribes across the world, but newton was the freak of all freaks.
Newton completed a mathematical problem in a single night that Leibniz and other geniuses needed months for. Look up the story of Isaac Newton’s Lion Claw
Newton was my gut reaction, of course. But I would also like to cast a vote for both Richard Feynman and Enrico Fermi. Staggering intellects, all of them.
There's a lot of layers here, and you have to take into consideration the context of the primary question. Sam defers to asking about who was the smartest person in history, but the goal is to have successful communications with Aliens. For sure a comprehensive understanding of math and science is necessary, but there should also be an appreciation of art and history. The person should be an exceptional communicator, and not just have a high cognitive IQ, but also emotionally intelligent. Ironically, I think Tyson's mentor Carl Sagan might have been the best person for the job.
*EDIT:* The interaction between Einstein and the reporter most likely never happened. Just a untrue story circulate the internet. Sorry for spreading it. So Einstein was NEVER asked by a reporter " How does it feal to be the smartest man in the room?". .And Einstein most likely NEVER said "I do not know, you have to ask Nicolas Tesla". The interaction never took place.
@@Gallowglass7 You are right. The quote was one of those thing I read somewhere and did not give it much though. After 10min googling it is pretty obvious the quote is most likely not true. Thanks for letting me know 👍
@@TheRobinL It's all good man and no problem. Yeah, I saw someone else a while back quote that and I checked it up and it didn't seem likely to me either I've been caught out a few times now, so I tend to be skeptical these days, depending on said quote.
well the question wasn’t who was the most influential. so i think the actual answer would be, as others have said, von neumann or da vinci. I think i’d consider aristotle too.
there was an indian man who went to harvard i think, he had a theory about there being a universal pool of knowledge that smart ppl are able to pull from, he takes my vote tbh he also solved a bunch of very advanced mathematic equations that i don’t understand enough about to explain
Everyone has been mentioning Newton, Neumann, Da Vinci, Einstein, Euler. No mention of Tesla or, what bothers me more, ludwig wittgenstein. He single handedly unravelled every single academic discipline in a 70 page book of bullet points. If you feel your discipline has not been shaken by his works, that discipline simply has not caught up yet. He talks about the complications of discussing anything without correct language to do so. He was also a fantastic mathematician and musician. Bertrand Russell, you know the guy who showed that maths was built on flawed logic and reinvented logic itself (Hon men Godel), said that Wittgenstein approached him asking if he should be a philosopher or an engineer (that if he was smart the former and an idiot the latter), Russell responded by asking to read something. He read one line and immediately requested that wittgenstein come and work with him. I think it is quite impossible, especially for people who mainly study science, to understand just how insane of a story that is. He then published his second and final work which tore down everything he had built just to reinvent it in an equally bizare, genius and necessary way. I think most other feats would have been achieved by some scientist down the line. The sheer, meta brilliance of observing language and comprehensively analysing that language with the same language, in order to create linguistic tools to use that language more effectively, is something that every field, for the rest of time, will benefit from.
Fucking finally people are talking about how off the map smart Wittgenstein is. Guy literally jerked off to math in the trenches of World War 1 and then deconstructed the masturbatory semantic nature of philosophy with a bullet point mic drop.
Yeah Neumann would run circles around Newton. Da Vinci would be good to have for out of box thinking same with Albert. But sheer brain power is Jon. He learned languages very fast and well. He could recite anything he read from whatever point someone prompted. He could calculate so fast across all mathematics they a room full of the best mathematicians couldn’t keep up. He could develop his own axiomatic math on the fly in order to solve something. That’s what Newton did with Calculus except he didn’t do it in his head at the very moment he save the problem. I think sone others might be able to tie him or even beat him on rare occasion but they would do it through insight and imagination. Kinda like the fly and bicycles problem. Jon would do the math. Another might realize the simple solution. It is worth pointing out that Neumann was a major proponent of using our nukes to strike USSR before they got any or many. He had a good and scary saying about it. I suppose looking at history and playing it out his was the surest way to not lose.
There's no one else in known history who has shown feats of intelligence that can clearly beat von Neumann, but von Neumann seems to ve a head above everyone else.
@@hellomate639 yeah I think others might have creativity or intuition that may not occur to Neumann, but when it comes to sheer brain power Neumann takes the cake.
I agree that Newton was probably the smartest person, but its obviously hard for us mere mortals to calibrate the greats. Personally I would nominate Feynman, as he had an extraordinary intellect but was a well rounded human being which Newton wasn't.
One thing I have learned in my 30 year career in computer software is super geniuses tend to be a huge pain to interact with and it's generally preferable to deal with someone maybe not so brilliant but more well rounded. I have dealt with someone who was an unbelievably brilliant engineer AND very pleasant to deal with but that's rare.
James Clerk Maxwell he combine 20 equations to fours and gave us the theory of electromagnetism and light. No doubt he will be the best candidate. James Clerk Maxwell he combine 20 equations to fours and gave us the theory of electromagnetism and light. No doubt he will be the best candidate.
I don't understand how five brains can have a group conversation .faster then the speed of sound.becouse there is no sound.faster then the speed of light . because there is no light .but the conversation is in tune with thought time and distance.that is the question.if I can get an answer.i will also say the last two witch are time and distance don't even matter because question and answer witch make up conversation are heard and responded to with in a tenth of a second
Smartest is the wrong question. I'd take Epictetus over Einstein. They won't need us to tell them what we know, they'll need a presentation of the best of our nature. Broad curiosity is another must.
I rarely agree with Tyson. But yes, Newton it is. Most added a piece to the human knowledge base, Newton, it's like he went on Mt Sinai and came back with thr bible.
I would say the person most able to see into the enigma of the human state would be most able to relate to an alien state, because as far as the average person is concerned the actual human condition may as well be an alien, since the thought-centric associative mind that they call "I" has so little direct perception or even insight into it. I therefore nominate Jan Cox, since he was the first person to realize the significance of the question, "What are you going to think next?" Which Question Sam Harris much later, made a big deal about, and may even understand its implication if he is not really just parroting Cox. Which he seems to do on a regular basis, but forty years later. On the other hand, Harris does have a large audience.
Matheticians shouldn't be considered genius. They are no different from story writers. Like making their own imagination It's only because mathematics sometimes maps to reality which earns mathematicians respect. It's a circular field like philosophy with no real progress.
I have always thought that the human first contactor should be a stage magician with a good backlog of tricks, and excellent personal presentation. It would tell us a lot if the aliens couldn't see through it.
Why does it need to be a numbers guy? Jodie Foster had a great line in that flick, "They should have sent a poet." Tons of movies make examples of this. Captain America, strength of character vs a Yes Sir soldier, Avatar, plenty of other of these examples. My vote would be Twain, or someone of that calibre. Why send a numbers guy?
Numbers are universal, while skill in language is very culture specific. The aliens wouldn't understand wordplay, they would likely understand scientific equations.
@kevineiford2153 The idea is more in perception and broader analysis. Poets, Authors, one could argue, bring more humanity to the situation than a numbers guy. While "math" might be an avenue of communication, who the freak knows. My comment was also a bit of a jab at these guys, fellow math guys were all they considered.
@@burstcity3832 Perhaps, but atoms can be easily determined numerically using atomic numbers. We sent messages into space with the numbers 1 - 10 written, and a description of the atomic numbers for the atoms that makeup DNA. Planetary systems may also be universal to life.
Easily Leonardo da Vinci, no one comes close to everything he has done. Just because people weren't smart enough to understand what he wrote does not mean he was less. The fellow designed flying machines long before people could fly. He made tools that were used to make tiny screws that revolutionized the world. Most famous painting in the world. Newton is like a line and da Vinci is like square feet.
The irony is, you have to be deep in a particular lore to even begin to understand the loremasters. So this question is inevitably a "blind men describing an elephant" paradox. A case in point was Einstein and his GRT. He had one of humanity's greatest insights, but struggled with the math. In fact, he greatly feared better mathematicians would steal his idea, e.g., the Göttingen people under David Hilbert. Hilbert supposedly reassured him they wouldn't. But then this raises the question of whether they could have. Personally, I believe applied and theoretical genius is apples and oranges, and you really can't compare, much less chose between the two. Freeman Dyson is another great example where he reconciled Schwinger and Feynman. Kleene explained Gödel, reconciled Church and Turing. What about the explainer/reconcilers?
Wow! This comment is just way over my head, way too smart! I applaud you! However, in my defense, I say that my experience has brought me street smarts, I can operate heavy equipment, I have certifications for safety, CPR, Dozer, Loader, Trenchers, Motor Grader, fork lifts, man lifts, and tractor trailer tanker (no hazmat). I have coordinated a crew requires safety precautions... yet somehow I feel like I just can't be on the same level as you... is there something wrong with me or does my mind specialize in a particular are only!
@@Obsidian_One1 You have a genius others would envy. I think anyone in the "trades" is very smart. In Germany you get certified as Meister, which is pretty much the same as "professor" for all the stuff they learn. Many different types of genius.
@@michaelbauers8800 He was world-class for sure, but he wasn't at the very tip-top -- simply because as a physicist he didn't specialize in math. Again, Göttingen had people that could have made headway with GTR, but out of professional courtesy didn't try to steal his thunder. But it makes me think theoretical math has all kinds of applications just waiting to be discovered.
@@michaelbauers8800compared to the rest of mankind he was a genius at math, but even so there were people that were better at it than him. Einstein's true genius relies on his imagination, ingenuity and capacity to reinvent the way we look at the universe.
Its tough, really, but is Leonardo Da Vinci. Its true, there was a huge problem with his notebooks, but it wasn't his fault. I mean the scope of his mind was beyond everything. He even invented robots... I mean, the guy was an alien, for sure.
In terms of those who advanced the complexity of our analytical thinking in the science: 1. Newton - Invented calculus and used it to create theory of Gravitation. First use of "higher" math in the sciences. 2. Einstein - Created a geometric model for space and time, which previous were just considered measurements. (Introducing the next "higher" level of sophistication in modelling nature in with unintutive mathetmatical models. 3. Fayman - Developed quantum field theory (along with others). Arguably more complex and sophisticated than General relativity in terms of mathematical modelling via quantum field theory. I would send Fayman. He had a sense of humor the aliens would appreciate.
@@EinSofQuester Yes he did but he had far more information and scientific breakthroughs to draw from, Newton had nothing close to the wealth of information that Einstein had.
Einstein had a similar miracle year by the age of 25. By the time he was 25, Einstein discovered Special Relativity, the photoelectric effect that ushered the age of Quantum mechanics, and proved the existence of molecules.
I think there needs be two categories. The first would represent the concrete, such as Newton, Einstein, Feynman, or von Neumann. The companion would understand the abstract, such as Aisimov, de Chardin, or Fuller. Now though (2023) any or all would have access to generative AI.
@@tofu8688 lol isn’t that what anyone else is doing? William Sidis was the smartest man in the world, his IQ was calculated to be around 275 and he even went to Harvard at age 11 and was able to read a newspaper at the age of 2 and was a polygot and knew so much about thermodynamics
"I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops." Stephen Jay Gould, The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History
After his victory in the 1960 presidential election JFK had a White House dinner fir all his young men who'd helped him get elected. When he stood to give his opening toast it was this--- " Gentelmen, never has this room been graced by more intelligence. Except when Thomas Jefferson dined here alone." I approve that message.
The Buddha? Don't dismiss it out of hand. He drilled down to the essence of conscious living; the cause and end of all human suffering. It's not a bad start.
@@paulheinrichdietrich9518 I have to admit Fiction possibly has more depth but when I think of the world's smartest people there pretty much all theoretical thinkers not artists or even technologist(not to diminish there contribution I just don't think it is the highest level of intelligence but it might be if you let intelligence mean artistic creativity among other thinks ie multiple intelligences)
@@lukecockburn1140I have nothing against creative geniuses; what I meant to say is that if I had to pick two literary artists to include in a list of "greatest genuises" I would not include neither Shakespeare nor Montaigne.
John von Neumann by far , Ramanjuan and Albert Einstein but von neumann easily beacuse he was easily one of the fasyes6minds that could understand aliens
Yeah I don't think Newton was as bright. Toss von Neumann back then and I might wonder if Maxwell's Equations would be von Neumann's equations, von Neumann gravity, a perfect analytical solution to orbital mechanics. I also think it's missing the mark to suggest that Einstein was more influential. He was more famous and discovered something *weirder.* But, he didn't do that in a vacuum. We already had the result that the speed of light is constant to all observers. He "merely" built relativity out of that, and I'm unconvinced that someone else wouldn't have figured it out shortly afterwards. Einstein was extremely conceptually gifted, and mathematically highly competent.
Da Vinci unlike Newton , Tesla, Ramanujan or Hawking excelled in both science as well as art... He is an excellent example of a polymath... Definitely deserves a mention... His only problem was procrastination and unfinished projects but I don't know how much that's true...
I love this guy… i usually hate cocky ppl bug what he says is so thought out and true and hes abiding to anyone or any platform. He gets to say what he wants and noones gona stop him. Thats a real man thats america. Hes a scientist cowboy. But niel if you read this. Dont get too cocky. I wouldnt want to see you get caughtup in a scandle. They were already gunning for you and that was bs. Theres just haters out there. Dont let em get you.
An intelligent alien life would dwarf us so much it would be irrelevant to chose "the smartest one". If you have an average alien IQ of 100 and humanity average 5 on the same scale, a smart alien with an iq of 140 won't be able to feel the difference between a human who scores 5 and one who score 7. What you need isn't the smartest, it's the less aggressive / threatening. The fact that people think human would be able to speak on the same level is ultimately a joke. People do not realize a civilization able to travel between stars would be so much more advanced, they would probably consider our intelligence closer to insect than to them.
Yes send in the scientist with no people skills if there advanced and here to meet us the last thing that would interest them is a beginners guid to the galaxy.
The moment I read the title, my reply was, "Isaac Newton." I'm happy to see Neil agrees. In fact, as an atheist and antitheist, I often offer Newton's example to those who try to insist that religious belief is only for "stupid" people. Indeed, sometimes it's the smartest people who are the most capable of rationalizing their indoctrinated beliefs.
Yes, but Newton, as intelligent as he was, lived in the 17th century. He didn’t have the benefit of modern biology and physics. It would shock me if he would be religious today.
@@chrismathis4162 Perhaps, but I found that intelligence is no reliable indicator of religious belief. Rather, it's been my experience that a person's level of open-mindedness is much more reliable. It's also been my experience that highly intelligent people can be more determined believers, because they're much more capable of rationalizing away any of the inconsistencies or contradictions of their belief. Legend has it that Newton was quite set in his ways, even a bit obnoxious, so it's perfectly reasonable to presume he'd be a master at rationalizing away any religious discrepancies he may discover due to modern science.
@@ejodim-2095 Um, no. Everybody first learns about Newton -- and his four fundamental rules of classical physics -- in school, for Pete's sake. Or, at least, they used to...
Creativity is another metrics. Influential scientists have intelligence and creativity in a strange mixture. Same in all fields. Also there are many types of intelligence. There are 5 types of mathematical intelligence, or something. IQ as a single measure is very limited. Plus the senses. To hit a curve ball you have to have far better than 2020 vision. Leonardo drew birds in flight that had to be verified by movie cameras. He designed an experiment that determined how the aortic valve closed that was verified only recently. He was good at geometry but not at algebra. I know many brilliant people and they are so different including by motivation. These conversations about who is the smartest are so, um, linear when talking about multidimensional geniuses. PS Newton was not a pleasant person. Vindictive to the extreme. Also, no one mentioned Leibniz...
Impossible to answer. But the problem with Newton is that his priorities were strange. He was most proud of being in charge of the Royal Mint. Can a man who doesn't fully appreciate his own accomplishments in math and physics get full credit for them? It's like this: he knew all the answers, but he didn't appreciate their incredible significance.
von Neumann. Not just because of the depth of his knowledge and his many, many accomplishments in mathematics and computer science, but because of the extraordinary breadth and range of his intellect as well. He had what amounts to total mastery of not just his own chosen scientific disciplines, but was at or above that level in literally dozens of other fields. Certainly while he was alive, and probably throughout all of history, he had the most "comprehensive" grasp of the totality of (contemporaneously available) human scientific understanding versus any other single individual. His ability to integrate new knowledge and also to clearly and concisely break down concepts to other people were a result of this breadth-- He could immediately adapt whatever the concept in question was to the learner, because his knowledge of other fields allowed him to map out a route to understanding that was tailored to the individual's own intellectual foundation, rather than simply repeating a formula.
This might not seem super impressive, because that's what tutors and teachers do all the time, but the difference with von Neumann is simply the level of understanding we're talking about. There are several examples in biographies of von Neumann that describe incidents where scientists considered the best in their respective fields would have their own work advanced or difficult problems these individuals were grappling with were easily and comprehensively solved on the spot by von Neumann in casual conversation. Not even a scratch pad or a slide rule. He'd literally complete or solve, ENTIRELY IN HIS HEAD, cutting edge scientific problems posed by his contemporaries, viciously difficult questions that these people worked daily to tackle, and do this in MULTIPLE disparate fields that didn't even really closely relate to his own research topics.
To break down von Neumann's strengths:
1- His own massive and epochal discoveries in mathematics and computer science (comp sci would be decades behind where it is now sans von Neumann)
2- Extraordinary depth AND breadth of knowledge in many fields (legendary status in a several fields, world- or global-class status in many fields simultaneously)
3- Combination of crystallized and fluid intelligence as well as high communication ability, even being world-class at 1 of these 3 things is rare, he was unquestionably world-class in all 3
4- Prodigious computational ability (somewhat overlaps with his aforementioned high fluid intelligence, but computational ability is a specific subset of intelligence that combines several areas of intelligence, including both crystallized and fluid intellect, but also incorporates other sensory areas, this makes it worth mentioning. The way I like to think of it is that he was both a graphing calculator and Wikipedia in one, both able to execute complex problems mentally, but also able to compare and organize data sets from across disciplines on top of that)
My other pick, and it would be a pretty distant second, would probably be Leibniz.
Frightening intellect
Wooow..well said...loved reading it...leibnitz sure shot....isn't it. Newton killed leibnitz. Glad I read ur post 😀
And he was fluent in 7 languages!
@@applewoodcourt Seven languages? Didn't know that. He apparently also had a photographic memory and one could open a book he was familiar with and ask, eg, what's on page such and such, and he could simply begin reciting.
von Neumann and maybe bring along the man Einstein said was the smartest man on Earth, Tesla.
Newton. Every time I learn more about Newton, the more amazed I am as to what he did. It’s impossible to overstate what Newton accomplished with respect to his time.
He was also an asshole :D
And probably autistic.
at the same time Newton was a religious freak who spent most of his time trying to find encoded secret messages in the Bible and who was obsessed with alchemy. His contributions to science are incredible and a huge gift to humanity, but I dont know if he's the guy you'd want talking to the aliens
Newton was unfortunately not a functional human being. He was likely on the autism spectrum and manic depressive.
@@quiddamumm... He lived over 400 years ago. Should we also penalize him for not having an iPhone?
@@quiddam That's a you problem of being athiest, that being as you say a so-called "religous freak." Tpyical Zathiests in their delusion, if you aren't one of us you cannot be consireded the best or something as the lines of that.
It is obviously John Von Neumann. His teacher in college, George Polya, relates the story of the time when he was explaining to his students some previously unsolved problem in mathematics. Von Neumann stared into the distance for five minutes, then calmly walked to the blackboard and wrote down the proof. According to Polya, "Johnny was the only student I was afraid of."
yeah, but he didn't invent physics and calculus.
@@CO8848_2 IQ and creativity are two different things. To be a great scientist, you need some of both. According to Eugene Wigner, everyone around them agreed that Von Neumann was cleverer than Einstein, but also that Einstein's ideas were more profound. The smartest teacher I had at university was a mediocrity as a (publishing) scientist.
@@jussihamalainen7692 It is clear that you don't understand what Einstein did. It is not "creativity", it is, however, more profound. You can say whatever about "cleverer", it has no meaning in the context of what they actually did. The world is full of clever people who do not measure up.
Funny hearing Sam's annoyance when he said " and don't forget the Bible" referring to Newtons being devoutly religious 😂
@@CO8848_2 It's hard to say what Von Neumann might have done had Newton not preceeded him. He might have invented both along and then come up with Maxwell's equations for dessert.
Archimedes is a genius who is hugely inderrrated because most of his work was since lost.
It pisses me off nobody is mentioning Euler. The man is the most influential in mathematics till date.2nd Newton no doubt
I'm with you
exactly!
Archimedes, Euclid, Gauss, Newton, Von Neumann, Euler, Aristotle, Godel, Maxwell, Einstein, Panini(?), Dirac(?)
Euler was freaky smart.
Good point. Definitely underrated
Da Vinci made advances in multiple disciplines, including anatomy, such as identifying arteriosclerosis and discovering the atria and certain valves of the heart (and their behaviors), as well as groundbreaking graphic illustrations in the field; in aeronautics, he basically invented a glider that was reconstructed in modern times and flown successfully; in mechanics, he anticipated Newton’s 3rd law of motion; in botany, he discovered the growth rings of trees; in geology, he was among the pioneers who sensed the earth was much, much older than the Biblical 6000 years-he also made discoveries in fluid dynamics, optics and acoustics-and much more can be said, including that he wrote this lone sentence in one of his his notebooks: “The sun does not move,” although he elaborated no further.
And on top of it all, some credit him with the most innovations in painting by a single artist.
The problem is that, for reasons scholars still without a diffinitive explanation, da Vinci never published any of his findings. Although there is evidence that copies were made of his notebooks that circulated in some major European cities.
Considering the breadth of fields he covered, da Vinci must be considered one of the greatest thinkers ever-and, note, he was largely self-taught, a self-made genius, so to speak.
Quote from one genius about other geniuses: “I have known a great many intelligent people in my life. I knew Max Planck, Max von Laue, and Wemer Heisenberg. Paul Dirac was my brother-in-Iaw; Leo Szilard and Edward Teller have been among my closest friends; and Albert Einstein was a good friend, too. And I have known many of the brightest younger scientists. But none of them had a mind as quick and acute as Jancsi von Neumann. I have often remarked this in the presence of those men, and no one ever disputed me. [...] But Einstein's understanding was deeper than even Jancsi von Neumann's. His mind was both more penetrating and more original than von Neumann's. And that is a very remarkable statement. Einstein took an extraordinary pleasure in invention. Two of his greatest inventions are the Special and General Theories of Relativity; and for all of Jancsi's brilliance, he never produced anything so original.” - Wigner (Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963)
This reminds me of the story of how the "dead parrot" sketch was created by John Cleese and Graham Chapman. John Cleese had written a sketch about not being able to return an obviously defective toaster in a department store and read it to Graham Chapman, who said "that's boring make it parrot instead." And with the little tiny bit of insight one of the greatest bits of comedy was born. John Cleese had the idea and did all the work but Graham Chapman's observation made it great.
My answer is a little out of left field: I think J.S. Bach
hahaha, bravo my man! Me too! Greatest and smartest man who ever lived! They have no clue what genius is our beloved composer and what he wrote!
"Gödel, Escher, Bach" ~ Douglas Hofstader
We need another smarter person to determine SHOULD WE TALK TO THEM??!
I like Feynman.
He had multiple good ideas, he was multifaceted, great communicator, artistic, music, logical, imaginative and a funny guy.
And a Me-Too guy.
@@kundakaps I don't know what you mean by that. Seemed to do the right thing by his wife caring for her as she died.
@@Daveyboyz1978
Of course you don't know what I'm talking about.
That's why you're so ignorant about this man's sexual behaviour.
Do you think he was married to this woman for decades from youth till she died in old age?
How about Euler? :| He discovered so much stuff in mathematics that we had to stop naming things after him.
The Euler- Constant, Function, Theorem ...
Come on.... definitely Euler!!!! No doubt! His contribution to how to study the universe dwarfs that of anybody else! Respects to Von Neumann and Newton of course...
Leonardo Da Vinci!! He was a master polymath: inventor, musician, scientist, artist, engineer, strategist, architect, etc.... His thirst for intellectual knowledge was unquenchable!! He is considered the highest form of intellectual expression who has ever lived!!
Physicist Edward Teller on "Johnny" Von Neumann:
"He could, and did, talk to my three year-old son... on his own terms! I sometimes wondered whether his relations to the rest of us were a little bit similar."
That's a great line. I imagine Von Neumann talking to ordinary geniuses would be like one of us talking to a toddler.
I’m surprised no one mentioned Leonardo Da Vinci as someone who is the smartest or at least one of the smartest people ever. If you do your research, he’s the most brilliant “pound for pound” person to ever exist hands down.
He is ordinary when compared to Newton. Newton's math/physics is out of league of Leonardo. Leonardo was multi-talented but he was far below Newton's class.
Neil mentioned him
@@critical_analysis if we’re speaking strictly about math & science, then I agree with you. But DaVinci was the original Renaissance man, a literal universal genius of unparalleled proportions who contributed to more fields than Newton.
@@BrockLanders Yeah, I read about him but I am really not sure, if his contributions impacted in any fundamental way to the sciences. He was a genius in art, a polymath but I am afraid his scientific contributions are not at a level compared to his art works. He built ingenious designs some worked, some couldn't and was industrious.
In my view, Isaac Newton was/is the greatest scientific genius who ever lived. No wonder, even the mighty Gauss was in awe of him, so was Laplace and Lagrange. Even, Bernoulli a sort of Newton hater couldn't resist praising the genius of Newton.
@@critical_analysisNewton lived two hundred years after Da Vinci so expecting him to make the same discoveries as Newton is ridiculous. Da Vinci was much father ahead of his contemporaries than was Newton. De Vinci’s inventions two hundred year before Newton were far ahead of Newton. Than add in his art. Newton was a idiot savant compared to the breadth of Da Vinci’s genius.
Von Neumann and Alan Turing :3
On IQ terms my vote is for John von Neumann, the man was a freaking beast on speed, then are people 200+ IQ and geniuses such as Gauss, Archimedes, Newton, Euler, etc. On genius: Einstein, Godel, Ramanujan, Mozart, etc.
It's difficult to ascertain an IQ for creative arts, like how smart was Mozart. It's muich less complex for physicists and mathematicians, however complex still. If you are smart beyonf the comperehension of others, there stands a risk you will never be heard let alone acknowledged. If you are grounded with the times and still smart then it might become something that the rest will benefit from.
You forgot tesla. because of his ingenuity and diligence, he very might as well be the most intelligent man in history.
Ken Gamarra Tesla: Ingenuity and Brilliance
Von Neumann: Diligence and creativity
Where would you place ramanujan?
Tesla was in fact one of the most brilliant, but he was different compared to John von Neumann. Probably Tesla was a 200+ IQ person and more creative even than von Neumann. But on IQ terms Johnny was so fast, nobody is close to him. Of course, there are anothers geniuses.
Ramanujan is tough to beat in math creativity: even he was compared with Euler, Gauss or even better by Hardy. Ramanujan: probably the most creative mathematician. He said that the goddess namagiri told him the solutions in dreams.
ramanujan is unlikely in the list he is a mathematician and struggled in sanskrit(language)
his verbal intelligence might be really low
Eratostenes was a brilliant Greek scientist. But 2,200 years worth of knowledge and information will b too much for him to handle. He calculated the earth circumsference and axial tilt with incredible accuracy. He believed the other planets orbited the sun and even said planet earth is not the only one with life. Whoever the United Nations chose, Carl Sagan would be a great assistant.
"But 2,200 years worth of knowledge and information will b too much for him to handle." - On the other hand, that 2.2K years of human knowledge would be asymptotically near-zero measured against the capacity of beings that could traverse tens/hundreds/thousands of lightyears of space. In that context, our immature human "knowledge" might be completely irrelevant. "Intellect", on the other hand, might be the only special sauce with any hope of problem-solving the communication barrier. Knowledge is a prisoner of its time. Intellect adapts to the variables with which it's presented.
Erathostenes had a fantastic mind that still holds up to any genuine genius of our time, but I'd personally offer the Syracusan polymath Archimedes as my vote for the smartest mind of all antiquity.
His numerous inventions, calculations, and contributions to a variety of different topics truly set him apart amongst all but the most brilliant minds in human history.
Archimedes is truly one of the metaphorical titans upon whose shoulders and contributions to the sciences we now upon stand
The Aetherius society has info that all the planets in this solar system are populated, though at higher vibrations of realty.
In the Vedic books in ancient India The did all that and more many years before the greeks.
I'm surprised no one mentioned Aristotle. He was wrong about a lot of things from the stand point of modern science, and yet he laid down the foundation of inquiry that led to science developing in Europe. It's also worth noting that the ideas of Aristotle and Euclid held ground longer than probably anyone in history.
Isaac Newton hands down. I truly believe that if he were alive today his IQ would be incalculable. He was truly an enigma. The kind of intelligence that comes around once in a few handfuls of generations, and needs to be lucky enough to have been born in the right place to have proper influence and adequate resources to be utilized. An absolute hyper-genius. He was also well known to have been extremely odd and most likely autistic.
John Von Neumann was the Smartest! He could divide 8 digit numbers by 8 digit numbers when he was a young child,...his intellect EXPLODED from there!
John Von Neumann was certainly more intelligent, he was not only a great mathematician and computer scientist, but he helped people from all sorts of professions to solve terribly complex problems, in economics for example. Newton was unbelievable as well but Neumann had the same depth as newton with much more breadth to his knowledge.
@@joaogarcia6170 nah...
James Clerk Maxwell he combine 20 equations to fours and gave us the theory of electromagnetism and light. No doubt he will be the best candidate.
Newton spent the majority of his time trying to decode the Bible, imagine if he grew up today, with all the resources we have
I'd still like Carl Sagan to speak with the aliens.
He would intrigue them Billions and billions of times. lol.
And he has good humor. I wouldn't mind even Tyson speaking with aliens. People with good communication skills,good humor, influence, and understanding. Tyson rings a bell
Gauss, Newton, von Neumann, Archimedes.
correct
and einsteintoo
Von Neumann is probably the most mechanically gifted person this world has ever seen but Einstein was more creative and imaginative.
@@sohelbashar6925 Einstein plagiarized his ideas. Actual physicists with talent thought he was a joke. Was promoted because he was jewish.
@@apedin For that perhaps von Neumann called Gauss as the greatest mathematician.
Gauss, Euler, Da Vinci, Archimedes, Einstein, Ramanujan, Von Neumann, Tao, Witten, Newton...these are the few who come to mind
Similar to watching physical greatness on the baseball Diamond, football field, soccer pitch, golf course, etc….it is also humbling and FUN to listen to intellectual greatness, like these two guys!!!
"We stand on the shoulders of giants."
🍎
.....said Isaac Newton.
The quote is:
"If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants"
When I was a small kid, my greatest wish was for a time machine. Both to go to the past, simply for my own curiosity, but also to bring folks forward & blow their minds with modern plumbing & etc. I’m the furthest thing from a scientist. I just like history, and everything that involves our weird concepts of time.
I nominate NdeGT for meeting our next alien. Communication & broad open-mindedness would be key. Also chill.
'Also chill'. This is an underrated requirement. We really want our representative to the aliens to be seriously, seriously chill
For the sake of argument, entire nations were afraid of the Greeks because of Archimedes, and we still talk about him. I'm sure we could we could catch him up on things pretty quick. Just a thought, don't berate me please. And I'm not completely sure a scientist is the only option, someone like Mark Twain, or Shakespeare, or Voltaire could represent and prove our intelligence. They could just bring a book voted on by the scientific community to present our "findings". Those guys are are much better conversationalists, Newton may get boring telling them things I assume they would already know.
One person aren’t fair. Neuman, Dirac, Einstein, Feynman, Russell, so I think we need more than one.
Its Da Vinci. There have been geniuses throughout history, but they're geniuses in a particular field. Da Vinci was a genius in many fields. He didnt have much influence because he never published his notebook's, but his brilliance is there for us to observe now.
...this is the correct answer...he was brilliant in multiple fields. A lot of pure mathematicians/ physicists being mentioned here. Maths, physics, engineering, art, architecture, humor......
Bullshit. Most of stories surrounding da Vinci is myth. Made up fables with no actual records. Modern scientific community were never able to replicate or extend his findings. Because they don't exist in reality other than fanboys forum. Same applies to Tesla as well. These are urban legends to sell books and get video views. These kind of forgetten geniuses stories have high emotional and shock values.
Yes, the ultimate polymath, he is the best answer to this question. Not necessarily who is the biggest genius with the biggest contributions, but who would represent the best of humanity, not just math and science but the arts as well.
Carl sagan, not because he is the smartest but because he has planned for such events, and I trust he would ask the right questions
Huygens was the son of a diplomat and invented mathematical physics, as well as a leader in the worldrenowned physics society in France at the day. He had the chops to communicate, being able to train Leibniz to superstardom math levels as well
John von Neumann probably the best all-rounder
It depends whether the alien civilization acts with emotion or conforms to the mistress that is modern science. Either way, I'd be rooting for Feynman to take them to a gentlemen's bar and solve the problem there; maybe incorporate some Bongo or Tuvan throat singing. Von Neumann would be pretty stumped in that scenario
I think the aliens would love him he's defo our best representative
Feyman at a sci-fi bar sounds like a great TV show
Von Neumann was as charismatic as Feynman, but definitely brighter
@nickers7409 I guess I can't say he was for certain but from the articles/research I have read online. He appeared to be liked and enjoyed parties.
Isaac Newton is considered the greatest scientist of all time.
who studed math and physics knows his influence in science, for example the law of gravity is everywhere in physics, the world we know now, it will not be exist without the work of Newton.
After him is Bernhard Riemann.
No he is not
Had Newton never been born, Leibniz would have been the person credited with inventing calculus, Galileo with the laws of motion and gravity, and Kepler would be the famous optician. Celestial mechanics would have been viewed as coming from both Leibniz and Kepler.
In other words, it is the Anglocentric view on the history of science that really elevates Newton to god status. I'm not saying he wasn't a genius, but it is preposterous to say that without him we wouldn't have the modern physics we have today. The role of the individual was not that great in the era of the scientific revolution, and his achievements and discoveries would have been merely postponed for several years or decades had he not lived.
What a stupid statement of yours is. Read some stuff man, Leibniz himself was in awe of Newton. Gauss and Lagrange said there was none smarter than Newton. He was the greatest intellect.
Newtonian discoveries would have been delayed by decades had he not lived?
I think you mean centuries mate.
And who gives a fuck about newtons ethnicity?
You're the only one who brought up him being anglo, super intelligence is available to all races and tribes across the world, but newton was the freak of all freaks.
@Leonhard Euler what did he meant??
Newton completed a mathematical problem in a single night that Leibniz and other geniuses needed months for.
Look up the story of Isaac Newton’s Lion Claw
@@fredbarker9201 Von Neumann would have done that problem in a few seconds (it's not even a joke, it's highly plausible). Newton is very overrated.
Newton was the first to that came to my mind...
Aristotelezz same
@@SomeRandomGtaDude-zl3us Newton invented calculus in his sleep at 25 y/o. Just imagine.
Von Neumann hands down. No one else compares.
Nonsense
@@johnhopkinson4054 you're nonsense
Newton imo
Socrates, or possibly Platon who wrote his dialogs, in my opinion.
Newton was my gut reaction, of course. But I would also like to cast a vote for both Richard Feynman and Enrico Fermi. Staggering intellects, all of them.
There's a lot of layers here, and you have to take into consideration the context of the primary question. Sam defers to asking about who was the smartest person in history, but the goal is to have successful communications with Aliens. For sure a comprehensive understanding of math and science is necessary, but there should also be an appreciation of art and history. The person should be an exceptional communicator, and not just have a high cognitive IQ, but also emotionally intelligent. Ironically, I think Tyson's mentor Carl Sagan might have been the best person for the job.
*EDIT:* The interaction between Einstein and the reporter most likely never happened. Just a untrue story circulate the internet. Sorry for spreading it.
So Einstein was NEVER asked by a reporter " How does it feal to be the smartest man in the room?". .And Einstein most likely NEVER said "I do not know, you have to ask Nicolas Tesla". The interaction never took place.
He never said that mate.
@@Gallowglass7 You are right. The quote was one of those thing I read somewhere and did not give it much though. After 10min googling it is pretty obvious the quote is most likely not true. Thanks for letting me know 👍
@@TheRobinL It's all good man and no problem. Yeah, I saw someone else a while back quote that and I checked it up and it didn't seem likely to me either
I've been caught out a few times now, so I tend to be skeptical these days, depending on said quote.
From what I have heard he said that but it was sarcastic
I think Copernicus and da Vinci were both at least as intelligent as Newton. Both had far greater breadth in their genius.
well the question wasn’t who was the most influential. so i think the actual answer would be, as others have said, von neumann or da vinci. I think i’d consider aristotle too.
there was an indian man who went to harvard i think, he had a theory about there being a universal pool of knowledge that smart ppl are able to pull from, he takes my vote tbh he also solved a bunch of very advanced mathematic equations that i don’t understand enough about to explain
John Von Neumann
Everyone has been mentioning Newton, Neumann, Da Vinci, Einstein, Euler. No mention of Tesla or, what bothers me more, ludwig wittgenstein. He single handedly unravelled every single academic discipline in a 70 page book of bullet points. If you feel your discipline has not been shaken by his works, that discipline simply has not caught up yet. He talks about the complications of discussing anything without correct language to do so. He was also a fantastic mathematician and musician. Bertrand Russell, you know the guy who showed that maths was built on flawed logic and reinvented logic itself (Hon men Godel), said that Wittgenstein approached him asking if he should be a philosopher or an engineer (that if he was smart the former and an idiot the latter), Russell responded by asking to read something. He read one line and immediately requested that wittgenstein come and work with him. I think it is quite impossible, especially for people who mainly study science, to understand just how insane of a story that is. He then published his second and final work which tore down everything he had built just to reinvent it in an equally bizare, genius and necessary way. I think most other feats would have been achieved by some scientist down the line. The sheer, meta brilliance of observing language and comprehensively analysing that language with the same language, in order to create linguistic tools to use that language more effectively, is something that every field, for the rest of time, will benefit from.
Not sure about Tesla, I think he's very overrated.
@@bojandolinar1535 no thoughts on wittgenstein then?
@@spikehowarth7152 No, don't know philosophers that well.
@@bojandolinar1535 bless yourself! Philosophy is a gift given to us by great minds to deal with this tormenting shit show we call life!
Fucking finally people are talking about how off the map smart Wittgenstein is. Guy literally jerked off to math in the trenches of World War 1 and then deconstructed the masturbatory semantic nature of philosophy with a bullet point mic drop.
Dr. Tyson, a Mr. Leibniz would like to have a word with you.
The answer here is very simple. It would be John von Neumann -- not Newton.
Hhhhh of course he is another kind of being
Yeah Neumann would run circles around Newton. Da Vinci would be good to have for out of box thinking same with Albert. But sheer brain power is Jon. He learned languages very fast and well. He could recite anything he read from whatever point someone prompted. He could calculate so fast across all mathematics they a room full of the best mathematicians couldn’t keep up. He could develop his own axiomatic math on the fly in order to solve something. That’s what Newton did with Calculus except he didn’t do it in his head at the very moment he save the problem. I think sone others might be able to tie him or even beat him on rare occasion but they would do it through insight and imagination. Kinda like the fly and bicycles problem. Jon would do the math. Another might realize the simple solution.
It is worth pointing out that Neumann was a major proponent of using our nukes to strike USSR before they got any or many. He had a good and scary saying about it. I suppose looking at history and playing it out his was the surest way to not lose.
There's no one else in known history who has shown feats of intelligence that can clearly beat von Neumann, but von Neumann seems to ve a head above everyone else.
@@hellomate639 yeah I think others might have creativity or intuition that may not occur to Neumann, but when it comes to sheer brain power Neumann takes the cake.
von Neumann or Tesla
I agree that Newton was probably the smartest person, but its obviously hard for us mere mortals to calibrate the greats. Personally I would nominate Feynman, as he had an extraordinary intellect but was a well rounded human being which Newton wasn't.
One thing I have learned in my 30 year career in computer software is super geniuses tend to be a huge pain to interact with and it's generally preferable to deal with someone maybe not so brilliant but more well rounded. I have dealt with someone who was an unbelievably brilliant engineer AND very pleasant to deal with but that's rare.
My vote would go to the great philosopher Yogi Berra!
📍4:02
William Sidis no doubt was the smartest person in the world and could of done more if his parents didn’t mess him up
True. Only if he had good friends.
I doubt.
Based on wikipedia
People in the comments does't wanna say "Einstein" not to feel like common.
@@raphaelzakhm7310 who tf are you lol
@@davidjohn2534 I didn't write my previous comment. Weird. I think someone accessed my account. Sorry for everything
James Clerk Maxwell he combine 20 equations to fours and gave us the theory of electromagnetism and light. No doubt he will be the best candidate. James Clerk Maxwell he combine 20 equations to fours and gave us the theory of electromagnetism and light. No doubt he will be the best candidate.
Add Saturn's Rings, Color Vision, Thermodynamics & Statistical Mechanics (and a goofy sense of humor).
Maxwell is my pick.
I don't understand how five brains can have a group conversation .faster then the speed of sound.becouse there is no sound.faster then the speed of light . because there is no light .but the conversation is in tune with thought time and distance.that is the question.if I can get an answer.i will also say the last two witch are time and distance don't even matter because question and answer witch make up conversation are heard and responded to with in a tenth of a second
Smartest is the wrong question. I'd take Epictetus over Einstein. They won't need us to tell them what we know, they'll need a presentation of the best of our nature.
Broad curiosity is another must.
Srinivasa Ramanujan, simply because he could figure it out. Whatever it was.
I rarely agree with Tyson. But yes, Newton it is. Most added a piece to the human knowledge base, Newton, it's like he went on Mt Sinai and came back with thr bible.
05:50 Badass as hell. Wasn't he also the only scientist allowed to in/out from Los Alamos as he pleased?
I would say the person most able to see into the enigma of the human state would be most able to relate to an alien state, because as far as the average person is concerned the actual human condition may as well be an alien, since the thought-centric associative mind that they call "I" has so little direct perception or even insight into it. I therefore nominate Jan Cox, since he was the first person to realize the significance of the question, "What are you going to think next?" Which Question Sam Harris much later, made a big deal about, and may even understand its implication if he is not really just parroting Cox. Which he seems to do on a regular basis, but forty years later. On the other hand, Harris does have a large audience.
The smartest person in history was smart enough not to have the attention or limelight on themselves and ran the world from the shadows.
No and the fact that you proportionally relate intelligence with power is proof you're a simple folk.
@@genesmith3582 the fact that you commented means you’re insecure and feeble minded.
It's me
Gauss, Newton and WJS.
I humbly nominate Ramanujan. He's the most underrated genius in our history no doubt.
Matheticians shouldn't be considered genius. They are no different from story writers. Like making their own imagination
It's only because mathematics sometimes maps to reality which earns mathematicians respect.
It's a circular field like philosophy with no real progress.
@@ThatisnotHair one of the most ignorant comments I've ever seen posted on RUclips. If anything, Mathematicians are the purest of geniuses.
I have always thought that the human first contactor should be a stage magician with a good backlog of tricks, and excellent personal presentation. It would tell us a lot if the aliens couldn't see through it.
at least the first thought wouldn't be about warfare.
Why does it need to be a numbers guy? Jodie Foster had a great line in that flick, "They should have sent a poet." Tons of movies make examples of this. Captain America, strength of character vs a Yes Sir soldier, Avatar, plenty of other of these examples.
My vote would be Twain, or someone of that calibre.
Why send a numbers guy?
James Joyce
Numbers are universal, while skill in language is very culture specific. The aliens wouldn't understand wordplay, they would likely understand scientific equations.
@kevineiford2153 The idea is more in perception and broader analysis. Poets, Authors, one could argue, bring more humanity to the situation than a numbers guy.
While "math" might be an avenue of communication, who the freak knows.
My comment was also a bit of a jab at these guys, fellow math guys were all they considered.
@@kevineiford2153 The only universal area would be atoms.
@@burstcity3832 Perhaps, but atoms can be easily determined numerically using atomic numbers. We sent messages into space with the numbers 1 - 10 written, and a description of the atomic numbers for the atoms that makeup DNA. Planetary systems may also be universal to life.
Easily Leonardo da Vinci, no one comes close to everything he has done. Just because people weren't smart enough to understand what he wrote does not mean he was less. The fellow designed flying machines long before people could fly. He made tools that were used to make tiny screws that revolutionized the world. Most famous painting in the world. Newton is like a line and da Vinci is like square feet.
Fantastic show. Joe and de grasse tyson are magnificent
The irony is, you have to be deep in a particular lore to even begin to understand the loremasters. So this question is inevitably a "blind men describing an elephant" paradox. A case in point was Einstein and his GRT. He had one of humanity's greatest insights, but struggled with the math. In fact, he greatly feared better mathematicians would steal his idea, e.g., the Göttingen people under David Hilbert. Hilbert supposedly reassured him they wouldn't. But then this raises the question of whether they could have. Personally, I believe applied and theoretical genius is apples and oranges, and you really can't compare, much less chose between the two. Freeman Dyson is another great example where he reconciled Schwinger and Feynman. Kleene explained Gödel, reconciled Church and Turing. What about the explainer/reconcilers?
Wow! This comment is just way over my head, way too smart! I applaud you!
However, in my defense, I say that my experience has brought me street smarts, I can operate heavy equipment, I have certifications for safety, CPR, Dozer, Loader, Trenchers, Motor Grader, fork lifts, man lifts, and tractor trailer tanker (no hazmat). I have coordinated a crew requires safety precautions... yet somehow I feel like I just can't be on the same level as you... is there something wrong with me or does my mind specialize in a particular are only!
I keep thinking Einstein being bad at math is an urban legend.
@@Obsidian_One1 You have a genius others would envy. I think anyone in the "trades" is very smart. In Germany you get certified as Meister, which is pretty much the same as "professor" for all the stuff they learn. Many different types of genius.
@@michaelbauers8800 He was world-class for sure, but he wasn't at the very tip-top -- simply because as a physicist he didn't specialize in math. Again, Göttingen had people that could have made headway with GTR, but out of professional courtesy didn't try to steal his thunder. But it makes me think theoretical math has all kinds of applications just waiting to be discovered.
@@michaelbauers8800compared to the rest of mankind he was a genius at math, but even so there were people that were better at it than him. Einstein's true genius relies on his imagination, ingenuity and capacity to reinvent the way we look at the universe.
Its tough, really, but is Leonardo Da Vinci. Its true, there was a huge problem with his notebooks, but it wasn't his fault. I mean the scope of his mind was beyond everything. He even invented robots... I mean, the guy was an alien, for sure.
In terms of those who advanced the complexity of our analytical thinking in the science:
1. Newton - Invented calculus and used it to create theory of Gravitation. First use of "higher" math in the sciences.
2. Einstein - Created a geometric model for space and time, which previous were just considered measurements. (Introducing the next "higher" level of sophistication in modelling nature in with unintutive mathetmatical models.
3. Fayman - Developed quantum field theory (along with others). Arguably more complex and sophisticated than General relativity in terms of mathematical modelling via quantum field theory.
I would send Fayman. He had a sense of humor the aliens would appreciate.
Feynmann is all publicity. Not even top 5 physicist of the 20th century.
Totally agree Newton, what he achieved before the age of 26 is beyond comprehension for the period of history in which he lived.
That is when most scientists start their career
Einstein also had his miracle year before age 26. And he then went on to discover something even more brilliant before the age 😉 f 35.
@@EinSofQuester Yes he did but he had far more information and scientific breakthroughs to draw from, Newton had nothing close to the wealth of information that Einstein had.
Einstein had a similar miracle year by the age of 25. By the time he was 25, Einstein discovered Special Relativity, the photoelectric effect that ushered the age of Quantum mechanics, and proved the existence of molecules.
I think there needs be two categories. The first would represent the concrete, such as Newton, Einstein, Feynman, or von Neumann. The companion would understand the abstract, such as Aisimov, de Chardin, or Fuller. Now though (2023) any or all would have access to generative AI.
Sir issac Newton was smartest person who ever alive.
JVN, Gauss, Leibnitz
Leonardo da vinci
@@gspcro9047 Why are you just naming them? Are you going to try to back up your claims?
He discovered calculus as fast as students in college learn it🤯
@@tofu8688 lol isn’t that what anyone else is doing? William Sidis was the smartest man in the world, his IQ was calculated to be around 275 and he even went to Harvard at age 11 and was able to read a newspaper at the age of 2 and was a polygot and knew so much about thermodynamics
"I am, somehow, less interested in the weight and convolutions of Einstein’s brain than in the near certainty that people of equal talent have lived and died in cotton fields and sweatshops."
Stephen Jay Gould, The Panda's Thumb: More Reflections in Natural History
After his victory in the 1960 presidential election JFK had a White House dinner fir all his young men who'd helped him get elected. When he stood to give his opening toast it was this--- " Gentelmen, never has this room been graced by more intelligence. Except when Thomas Jefferson dined here alone." I approve that message.
Definitely Edison - best light bulb moment ever.
Give me Wild Bill Shakespeare.
Wild Bill? Like the founder of the CIA.
@@michaelterrell5061 harry Truman is founder of cia.
John von Neumann and Archimedes were in another dimension with superhuman inteligence Maybe Aryabhata is next to them.
The Buddha? Don't dismiss it out of hand. He drilled down to the essence of conscious living; the cause and end of all human suffering. It's not a bad start.
Leipnitz?
nordhorny leepnutz*
nordhorny thanks, i’m actually a 5x international spelling bee champion
If we set aside religion, Newton and Shakespeare far outshine all others. Leibniz and Montaigne are honourable mentions.
You do know that the existence of Shakespeare is disputed right?
Do you mean your choices without talking about religious or without mentioning religious figures?
Shakespeare!? Montaigne!!!!!!????
@@paulheinrichdietrich9518 I have to admit Fiction possibly has more depth but when I think of the world's smartest people there pretty much all theoretical thinkers not artists or even technologist(not to diminish there contribution I just don't think it is the highest level of intelligence but it might be if you let intelligence mean artistic creativity among other thinks ie multiple intelligences)
@@lukecockburn1140I have nothing against creative geniuses; what I meant to say is that if I had to pick two literary artists to include in a list of "greatest genuises" I would not include neither Shakespeare nor Montaigne.
James Clerk Maxwell, Paul Dirac, Albert Einstein, there are so many geniuses many provided contributions to a significant contribution to science
I think people are afraid to say Einstein because they dont want to seem basic. But the mf really was that smart.
Von Neumann was considered the smartest man to every live by Einstein, don’t think he would disagree😊
A intelligent species could simply download all data on the internet and would know the human race really well, vs talking to one individual.
How'd you figure that out?
John von Neumann by far , Ramanjuan and Albert Einstein but von neumann easily beacuse he was easily one of the fasyes6minds that could understand aliens
Yeah I don't think Newton was as bright. Toss von Neumann back then and I might wonder if Maxwell's Equations would be von Neumann's equations, von Neumann gravity, a perfect analytical solution to orbital mechanics.
I also think it's missing the mark to suggest that Einstein was more influential. He was more famous and discovered something *weirder.* But, he didn't do that in a vacuum. We already had the result that the speed of light is constant to all observers. He "merely" built relativity out of that, and I'm unconvinced that someone else wouldn't have figured it out shortly afterwards. Einstein was extremely conceptually gifted, and mathematically highly competent.
@@hellomate639 it was easier to make big discoveries in isolation back in newtons day because physics was a less mature discipline
I am surprised that Aristotle does not rank among the leading names. NO ONE has impacted human knowledge to the extent and the time as he has.
My best guess. Tesla or Da Vinte
Von Neumann of course
So nobody is going to talk about leonardo da vinci
Da Vinci unlike Newton , Tesla, Ramanujan or Hawking excelled in both science as well as art... He is an excellent example of a polymath...
Definitely deserves a mention...
His only problem was procrastination and unfinished projects but I don't know how much that's true...
Goethe
I love this guy… i usually hate cocky ppl bug what he says is so thought out and true and hes abiding to anyone or any platform. He gets to say what he wants and noones gona stop him. Thats a real man thats america. Hes a scientist cowboy. But niel if you read this. Dont get too cocky. I wouldnt want to see you get caughtup in a scandle. They were already gunning for you and that was bs. Theres just haters out there. Dont let em get you.
An intelligent alien life would dwarf us so much it would be irrelevant to chose "the smartest one". If you have an average alien IQ of 100 and humanity average 5 on the same scale, a smart alien with an iq of 140 won't be able to feel the difference between a human who scores 5 and one who score 7. What you need isn't the smartest, it's the less aggressive / threatening. The fact that people think human would be able to speak on the same level is ultimately a joke. People do not realize a civilization able to travel between stars would be so much more advanced, they would probably consider our intelligence closer to insect than to them.
The average human iq in developed nations is 100
Yes send in the scientist with no people skills if there advanced and here to meet us the last thing that would interest them is a beginners guid to the galaxy.
The moment I read the title, my reply was, "Isaac Newton." I'm happy to see Neil agrees. In fact, as an atheist and antitheist, I often offer Newton's example to those who try to insist that religious belief is only for "stupid" people. Indeed, sometimes it's the smartest people who are the most capable of rationalizing their indoctrinated beliefs.
Yes, but Newton, as intelligent as he was, lived in the 17th century. He didn’t have the benefit of modern biology and physics. It would shock me if he would be religious today.
@@chrismathis4162 Perhaps, but I found that intelligence is no reliable indicator of religious belief. Rather, it's been my experience that a person's level of open-mindedness is much more reliable.
It's also been my experience that highly intelligent people can be more determined believers, because they're much more capable of rationalizing away any of the inconsistencies or contradictions of their belief.
Legend has it that Newton was quite set in his ways, even a bit obnoxious, so it's perfectly reasonable to presume he'd be a master at rationalizing away any religious discrepancies he may discover due to modern science.
Please...just like me you probably first heard about Newton FROM Neil.
@@ejodim-2095 Um, no. Everybody first learns about Newton -- and his four fundamental rules of classical physics -- in school, for Pete's sake. Or, at least, they used to...
@@ejodim-2095What? Newton is one of those people in history that everyone knows about
If I want anybody to send something to an alien civilization, then it would be Arnold Sommefeld saying 137.
Creativity is another metrics. Influential scientists have intelligence and creativity in a strange mixture. Same in all fields. Also there are many types of intelligence. There are 5 types of mathematical intelligence, or something. IQ as a single measure is very limited. Plus the senses. To hit a curve ball you have to have far better than 2020 vision. Leonardo drew birds in flight that had to be verified by movie cameras. He designed an experiment that determined how the aortic valve closed that was verified only recently. He was good at geometry but not at algebra. I know many brilliant people and they are so different including by motivation. These conversations about who is the smartest are so, um, linear when talking about multidimensional geniuses. PS Newton was not a pleasant person. Vindictive to the extreme. Also, no one mentioned Leibniz...
Metric singular...
William sidis
Yah, we really must define "smartest" in this situation
Impossible to know. It was probably a person growing up in a place and time, where his or her smartness had no chance to blossom.
Impossible to answer. But the problem with Newton is that his priorities were strange. He was most proud of being in charge of the Royal Mint. Can a man who doesn't fully appreciate his own accomplishments in math and physics get full credit for them? It's like this: he knew all the answers, but he didn't appreciate their incredible significance.
Yeah I believe he was smart, but overall not the most intelligent. Intelligence involved more than brute calculating power.
@@jeffheyer7783 , Good point. Or "wisdom" might be what he lacked.
That’s because he became bored with their incredible significance. He wanted to serve God. Not man’s vision of truth.
@@marketmagus Apparently, what he wanted most was to be in charge of the Royal Mint.
My great grandfather is the smartest human to ever lived...