Stephen A. Lawrence <sa...@pobox.com> wrote: Can you name *one* person who made what turned out to be a breakthrough in > physics, and who was known to be unreliable and dishonest, *and* who had *no > formal training* in the field? >
Davy, especially in his later years and his treatment of Faraday. In technology, Edison, and Steve Jobs. People with no formal training seldom have an opportunity to contribute, so there are only a handful of them. Not a good statistical sample. There are many famous, unreliable and dishonest professional scientists. Amateurs can seldom contribute for two reasons: 1. They can only take a role at the beginning. After a few years when a body of knowledge builds up, you need professional training just to catch up. Cold fusion is just beginning, so Rossi may have a role to play. 2. Nowadays, they are locked out by funding agencies, professional journals, venture capitalists and other establishment institutions. - Jed
