[zethus]

Not the OP of the comment, but seemingly a common point of view that the most noble (and in some cases only valid?) pursuit of the human species is science/technology. I do find it interesting of the comparison between "mediocre sports athlete" and "best scientist" from the lens of aid to humanity. One could make an equally valid argument that a mediocre sports athlete brings more immediate utility to people in terms of entertainment, inspired hope, economic spend. In short, value is relative. Being a mediocre professional athlete is still a tremendous achievement. If your goal is to be remembered, you must appeal to the masses. Doesn't mean our species is stupid, it just means we are social.

[sixQuarks]

No, the point of my comment was that most humans appreciate and remember the guy who doesn’t give two shits about them, would rather spend their money on bling and mansions, while the scientist who actually helps humanity tremendously is not even noticed.

[toombowoombo]

Do all scientists create with the goal of helping humanity tho? I get the impression that knowledge for the sake of knowledge can be common too and that the practical applications can be a convenient, but unintended side-effect.