The purpose of this essay is to help one comprehend how it is that the two had been successful in the aforementioned task. It is no easy feat to move the entire world forward in its current understanding of what we live in. Many adversities and obstacles had to be overcome, such as the thought that men were superior to women, back in the 1800’s. Additionally, it is prudent to investigate how the element of chance had played a role in the discoveries pertaining to Curie and Röntgen. The scientific method we know and love today does not always guarantee the best results. Sometimes, sheer luck can accomplish what may take decades, if not centuries. It is also vital to acknowledge that despite taking the necessary measures to ensure your health and wellbeing, there is no guarantee that the experiments you may perform will not harm you. Science is dynamic, not static, and understanding the methods behind great scientists will allow future generations to progress the world forwards through to a new era.
Throughout centuries, mankind has always been fascinated with our innate surroundings. Every moment of every day, new revelations in the sciences persist to clash with our understanding of the world we live in, threatening to toss and turn us to an immeasurable extent. Rather than being fearful of these new revelations, scientists throughout history take it upon themselves to explore broad new frontiers, in hopes to better comprehend the fabric of nature. Paraphrasing Tommy Lee Jones, from the hit movie Men in Black, “Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat... Imagine what you'll know tomorrow.” (Jones, 1997).
What one may know to be true now does not guarantee it to be the truth, only the true understanding that we are able to attain. Several hundreds of years ago, people would have cackled at the notion that there is a light that cannot be seen by the naked eye, yet can pass through a block of wood with ease. Furthermore, people would have chortled at the thought of a female scientist being able to make any noteworthy contribution to the fields of chemistry and physics, let alone discover not one, but two new elements. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen and Marie Curie stood boldly in the face of current beliefs and understanding, solely to progress society’s understanding of the world we live in.
Contents
Introduction
The Impact of Gender Inequalities in Scientific Revelations
The Role of Chance and the Scientific Method
The Risks in Pursuing Answers in a Newly Discovered Field
Conclusion
References
Introduction
Throughout centuries, mankind has always been fascinated with our innate surroundings. Every moment of every day, new revelations in the sciences persist to clash with our understanding of the world we live in, threatening to toss and turn us to an immeasurable extent. Rather than being fearful of these new revelations, scientists throughout history take it upon themselves to explore broad new frontiers, in hopes to better comprehend the fabric of nature. Paraphrasing Tommy Lee Jones, from the hit movieMen in Black, “Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat... Imagine what you'll know tomorrow.” (Jones, 1997). What one may know to be true now does not guarantee it to be the truth, only the true understanding that we are able to attain. Several hundreds of years ago, people would have cackled at the notion that there is a light that cannot be seen by the naked eye, yet can pass through a block of wood with ease. Furthermore, people would have chortled at the thought of a female scientist being able to make any noteworthy contribution to the fields of chemistry and physics, let alone discover not one, but two new elements. Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen and Marie Curie stood boldly in the face of current beliefs and understanding, solely to progress society’s understanding of the world we live in.
The purpose of this essay is to help one comprehend how it is that the two had been successful in the aforementioned task. It is no easy feat to move the entire world forward in its current understanding of what we live in. Many adversities and obstacles had to be overcome, such as the thought that men were superior to women, back in the 1800’s. Additionally, it is prudent to investigate how the element of chance had played a role in the discoveries pertaining to Curie and Röntgen. The scientific method we know and love today does not always guarantee the best results. Sometimes, sheer luck can accomplish what may take decades, if not centuries. It is also vital to acknowledge that despite taking the necessary measures to ensure your health and wellbeing, there is no guarantee that the experiments you may perform will not harm you. Science is dynamic, not static, and understanding the methods behind great scientists will allow future generations to progress the world forwards through to a new era.
The Impact of Gender Inequalities in Scientific Revelations
Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen had lived a life with relative ease, being a successful professor of physics, and winning a noble prize for the discovery of X-rays. He worked in a state-of-the-art laboratory, and had access to presumably whatever he had needed to further his research. Prior to working on X-rays, Röntgen had sufficient time to publish 49 different scientific papers (Röntgen, 1896, 343). However, relative to Marie Curie, Röntgen had lived a life of ease. As one could tell from her name, Curie is female. And back in the 1800’s, even up into the late 1900’s, it is a well known fact that females had not been treated as equals to males, as it should have been. Unlike Röntgen, Curie did not have a lavish laboratory. Rather, she had been given a small room in the School of Physics, described by Eve Curie inThe Discovery of Radiumas “a kind of storeroom, sweating with damp, where unused machines and lumber were put away” (Curie, 1943, 368). Not only did this take a physical and mental toll on Curie, this environment would have likely delayed her research by years, as opposed to having a laboratory similar to that of Röntgen. Having proper equipment would have likely led to a faster discovery of the elements Radium and Polonium. Furthermore, it was likely the case that Curie had not earned the same amount of money on a daily basis as her husband, let alone the majority of other males in a similar social class. A lack of funding and resources can significantly delay any research project. Stuck with low grade equipment, materials, Curie was put up for a task that could have been accomplished in a fraction of the time, had she possessed suitable gear. Though, despite the many hardships she had to endure, Curie was persistent. 45 months after announcing the probable presence of Radium, Marie Curie, along with her husband Pierre Curie, the Curies had proven its existence (Curie, 1943, 379). However, it pains me to think of how much time could have been cut back, had she been treated as an equal. Time that could have been spent finding new discoveries was taken away, solely due to having an ‘X’ chromosome in place of a ‘Y’. Seeing as Curie had lived only to the age of 66, time truly was of the essence (“Marie Curie Biography”, n.d.). However, it is pleasant to note that at least Pierre treated her with the respect she so rightfully deserved, and this is also analogous to another case between Antoine and Marie-Anne Lavoisier, which was one of the few cases where females in the history of science were treated as equals to males. Marie and Pierre Curie had banded together, united by a passion just like Antoine and Marie-Anne Lavoisier, and brought the world through to a new era.
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- Quote paper
- Mark Zaidi (Author), 2016, Analysis of the Scientific Contributions of Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen and Marie Curie, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/340058
