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Why have Poles contributed so little to Academics? (Particularly Science)


TheAttorney45  
13 Oct 2011 /  #1
It seems Poles haven't contributed much to academia. Very few Poles have won a Nobel Prize in an academic subject. Even Poland's Jewish minority has won more Nobel Prizes than the Christian majority. What's the reason for this?

When I think of science, Copernicus was the only great Polish scientist I can think of. However, in modern times it seems Poles are lagging behind in fields such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, and physics.
Angel-eyes  
13 Oct 2011 /  #2
copernicus was a German
OP TheAttorney45  
13 Oct 2011 /  #3
Are you sure? Wasn't he an ethnic Pole who spoke German?
ShAlEyNsTfOh  4 | 161  
13 Oct 2011 /  #5
what a stupid question... the Poles have contributed GREATLY to/in almost every field of life

Music - chopin, science = marie curie, etc., religion = john paul II

America: hollywood/CNN/talkshows/arts = all polish jews :)

Hell, even Christopher Columbus was ethnically Polish, too. :D

Without them, what would our lives have been like today?
LwowskaKrakow  28 | 431  
13 Oct 2011 /  #6
TheAttorney45

Mikolaj Kopernik( Copernicus)
Marie Curie- Sklodowska
teflcat  5 | 1024  
13 Oct 2011 /  #7
Consider this. University staff are paid so little that they have to do two or more jobs just to pay the bills. One result of this is that they are very busy people who do not have time to spend developing their expertise to the extent that they would like. Compare this with an American or British academic who can afford to spend a great deal of time on independant study. There are very many academics who are doing great work in the universities and institutes, and their work is usually unpublicized, but there are others who are members of staff in two, three or more institutions in order to keep their families, to the detriment of their personal professional development.
a.k.  
13 Oct 2011 /  #8
What's the reason for this?

You know the answer and we know what is the purpose of that thread. Why to bother to answer at all?

Marie Curie- Sklodowska

Probably he is another person who thinks she was French. If someone is asking such question should first educate himself. TheAttorney45 what do you think why she called an element she discovered polon? She was born in Warsaw to Polish family. As an adult person she emigarted to France. Then she married Pierre Curie. She won 2 Noble Prizes, one with her husband.
Palivec  - | 379  
13 Oct 2011 /  #9
What's the reason for this?

Poland was less urbanized (don't know the exact numbers, but the eastern part was 27% vs. 44% for Eastern Germany). Poland was also controlled by foreign powers (which didn't invest in education for Poles) during the 19th and early 20th century, when science literally exploded. That's why most educational institutions in Poland were founded only after 1918, and soon after Poland became part of the Soviet block, which wasn't interested in high education for the masses.
OP TheAttorney45  
13 Oct 2011 /  #10
Mikolaj Kopernik( Copernicus)
Marie Curie- Sklodowska

Two is all you can think of? I'm not impressed.

Well...one and a half is all you could think of since Copernicus was half German.

Poland was also controlled by foreign powers (which didn't invest in education for Poles) during the 19th and early 20th century, when science literally exploded.

That doesn't explain the fact that Jews still were able to excel in science while Christian Poles didn't. Don't blame this on the Soviet block as Jews were persecuted during that time and went through much worse.

Probably he is another person who thinks she was French.

Stop being so presumptuous. I never denied that she was Polish. Yes, she did win 2 Nobel Prizes (it's Nobel, not Noble like you spelled it jeez) but the fact still remains that most Nobel Prizes won by Poles in physics (and probably chemistry too) were awarded to Jews. It's kind of sad that Poland's Jewish minority has done more work in science than the rest of Poles.
Ironside  50 | 12314  
13 Oct 2011 /  #11
because we are retared simpletons without clue and real inteligence, it possible that we are not even white, on the top of it we do not intergarte and spit on everything that moves and do not hide, cannot even learn languages.

Science ?whats that ? food? or is that a new name for bonk?
however we still feel superior to likes of you mr Troll from Trollham.
boletus  30 | 1356  
13 Oct 2011 /  #12
However, in modern times it seems Poles are lagging behind in fields such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, and physics.

Are they? Let me see, one at the time, why should I do all the work for you? They are not necessarily Nobel prize winners, but they are famous nevertheless. And the list is quite long. I'll start with modern quantum computation, q. decoherence, q. teleportation, q. cryptography.

Wojciech Żurek would be a good example.
boleta  
13 Oct 2011 /  #13
What's wrong with you, boletus?? Don't you know that only chosen people invented everything worth mentioning by now? Stop arguing pointless disputes.
Davidson613  
13 Oct 2011 /  #14
It's a legitimate question and people are getting angry. Why?

It is interesting though that Polish Jews have won more Nobel Prizes despite their small numbers.
EdWilczynski  3 | 98  
13 Oct 2011 /  #15
Marian Rejewski
Henryk Zygalski
Jerzy Rozycki

Three top Polish mathematicians who were recruited for code-breaking, Bletchley Park and were credited for their work in cracking the enigma code.

It's a legitimate question and people are getting angry. Why?

Because it is inaccurate!!
Davidson613  
13 Oct 2011 /  #16
Because it is inaccurate!!

No it's not. Physics Nobel Prize winners from Poland are mostly Jewish.
pawian  219 | 24635  
13 Oct 2011 /  #17
There was war...

Even two wars.

And communism.

Didn`t you know about it? ???

Strange.
Lyzko  
13 Oct 2011 /  #18
£obaczewski, Georg Kantor, Stanisław Lem and numerous other Polish mathematicians (both Jewish as well as gentile) often adorn the pages of academic scholarship. There are sooooo many I'm leaving out-:)

Admittedly, the applied or hard sciences rely a lot on technology and as was posted earlier, Poland industrialized comparatively late when seen beside Germany, England, France, Italy or the US.
Davidson613  
13 Oct 2011 /  #19
£obaczewski, Georg Kantor, Stanisław Lem and numerous other Polish mathematicians (both Jewish as well as gentile) often adorn the pages of academic scholarship. There are sooooo many I'm leaving out-:)

We know already that Poland's Jewish minority has accomplished a lot in science/math. The thread is directed at the Polish Gentile majority though.
a.k.  
13 Oct 2011 /  #20
It's kind of sad that Poland's Jewish minority has done more work in science than the rest of Poles.

So? What's your thesis?

TheAttorney45
why have you changed your user name to:
Davidson613
?
Lyzko  
13 Oct 2011 /  #21
Davidson, I already made the disclaimer that both Polish Jews as well as gentiles have contributed richly to mathematics as well as to the sciences. Is it therefore any coincedence that the three or so names I mentioned turned out to be Jewish, or at best, half-Jewish?

-:)
a.k.  
13 Oct 2011 /  #22
£obaczewski

Wasn't he Russian?

Georg Cantor

Wasn't he German? Wiki says it's doubtful that he was of Jewish origins.
Davidson613  
13 Oct 2011 /  #23
Cantor definitely had Jewish origins. Jews in general have contributed so much, especially in physics.
a.k.  
13 Oct 2011 /  #24
Cantor definitely had Jewish origins.

Wiki says he was just rumoured to be Jewish because of his surname. His parents were Christian. However I won't argue because it's the first time when I hear about that guy (I was always poor in mathematics, so excuse me ;)
Ironside  50 | 12314  
13 Oct 2011 /  #25
Cantor definitely had Jewish origins. Jews in general have contributed so much, especially in physics.

I'm sure they are the smartest people on the planed but there are alway exceptions. Every now and then there is some retarded runt. Do not take it personally.
Ozi Dan  26 | 566  
14 Oct 2011 /  #26
It seems Poles haven't contributed much to academia.

They have. Why not google "Timeline of Polish science and technology". That'll set you right champ.

Even Poland's Jewish minority has won more Nobel Prizes than the Christian majority.

These Jews are Poles of Jewish faith nonetheless aren't they? Why distinguish?
Davidson613  
14 Oct 2011 /  #27
These Jews are Poles of Jewish faith nonetheless aren't they? Why distinguish?

Because they are a minority and it's Polish Christians that make up most of the population. If I didn't distinguish, then the Jewish minority would cause an outlier in the data that shows Poles made little scientific contributions.
Ozi Dan  26 | 566  
14 Oct 2011 /  #28
If I didn't distinguish, then the Jewish minority would cause an outlier in the data that shows Poles made little scientific contributions.

But the OP asked a question about Poles (inclusive presumably) rather than Christian Poles. I'm a bit confused here, are you the same person?

I infer from your quoted post that you wish to cast a negative aspersion vis a vis Poland's purported lack of contribution to academia. I apologise if I am wrong and would appreciate clarification. Cheers.
boletus  30 | 1356  
14 Oct 2011 /  #29
Davidson613

Because they are a minority and it's Polish Christians that make up most of the population. If I didn't distinguish, then the Jewish minority would cause an outlier in the data that shows Poles made little scientific contributions.

So mister (Davidson613=TheAttornet45=any other cowardly anonymous name) - I have been waiting for your response to my challenge at post #13: what about Wojciech Żurek? Oh, yes, you apparently have no idea who he is and what kind of science he represents. Do you need another month or so to get down to the basics of quantum decoherence?

Oh, oh, and I must remind you that I have offered you a long challenge list before ... None of those simplistic, trivial cases of Copernicus or Sklodowska.
Davidson613  
14 Oct 2011 /  #30
He hasn't won a Nobel Prize.

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