I’ve been neglecting the blog a little recently as I’ve been so busy elsewhere. That’s likely to continue for a few weeks yet but I have a queue of ideas lined up to post on when I get time to do more writing.
In the meantime check out this great article on Emmy Noether by Lee Phillips from Ars Technica. While I haven’t studied Physics beyond first year university level, I’m still a little ashamed to say that I’d never heard of her before reading that article. This woman should be a household name.
It’s a useful reminder that, although in many areas we may have taken great strides toward social equality in the past century, the attitudes that denied Emmy work a hundred years ago are still prevalent and are the same as those that would neglect her story today.
That’s not to diminish anyone else’s accomplishments. The achievements of Einstein, Turing, Nash, Hawking and many others who have become part of our cultural story are undoubtedly magnificent.
Science and discovery is not a zero-sum game. We need not tear one down to elevate the other.
Rather, as the saying goes, “We see further by standing upon the shoulders of giants”. Elevating one, serves to elevate us all.
Look at what she was able to accomplish given her conditions. Now imagine how much more she could possibly have achieved if she had the support available to her male compatriots.
Now imagine what would be possible if that would have been available to any woman of her time.
Now imagine, just imagine, what would the world be like today? Where would we be as a civilization if, for the past thousand years, women had been equal participants in this adventure?
Imagine that for a thousand years we’d had twice as many giants. Twice as many seekers atop their shoulders, peering into the unknown.
What a world we could have if we wanted it.