Who comes to mind when you hear the word “scientist”?
For many of us living today, the first face that pops up is probably Albert Einstein — not only because of his extraordinary achievements, but also because that iconic photo of him with wild hair and his tongue sticking out has become almost synonymous with “the scientist.” It branded a lasting image in our collective imagination.
Still, in everyday life, we don’t really think about scientists all that often, do we? So in this article, we’ll shine a light on these remarkable figures through the lens of introversion and extroversion.
I hope it helps you feel a little closer to them — as if these distant names from the past are suddenly sitting beside you.
Where Science Exists, Humanity Exists
Smartphones, air conditioners, cars, houses — even our food, clothes, roads, and medicine. We live surrounded by countless things, so many that we hardly notice them anymore. But millions of years ago, before humans appeared on Earth, none of these existed. Naturally 😅
Across the long arc of history, people created these things one by one. It began with early thinkers who tried to understand nature — philosophers who would later become known as scientists. Famous or not, the endless layers of their work and discoveries are what sustain our modern lives.
If scientists had never existed —
We might still be living like our primitive ancestors: hunting animals, gathering nuts, striking stones to make fire in a dark cave, shivering through the cold nights. Our world would be small, our days repeating the same narrow patterns. A simple injury could worsen without treatment; an illness might take our lives without warning. Life would be short, fragile, and uncertain.
Because science existed — because human beings had the wisdom to create it — we found ways to overcome harsh environments and walk a path unlike any other creature on Earth. It’s true that today science also brings side effects, like climate change. But even so, there is no going back to a world without it.
In this article, let’s step closer to the human side of scientists, reading their stories through an introvert–extrovert lens. Most of the figures we’ll meet lived in earlier centuries (from the 15th century onward), long before these personality concepts existed. So the classifications below are simply my own interpretations — based on books, research, and the impressions I gathered. I hope you enjoy them with that in mind.
