The physicists Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein disagreed strongly on various points yet remained close friends. He hoped to deduce all observable phenomena—the paths of planets, the beating of the heart—from a few foundational laws or principles. After years of effort, and despite triumphs such as the invention of analytic geometry, he conceded defeat. But he had little interest in engaging with other researchers or relying on the assistance of volunteers (who would distract him with “useless conversation”). Descartes, explains the historian of science Lorraine Daston, “was probably the last major thinker to believe that science could be conducted in splendid solitude.”

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Persons: Niels Bohr, Albert Einstein, René Descartes, Descartes, Lorraine Daston, “, ” Organizations: Getty