"Does it diminish Einstein's accomplishments to say that other people could have done what he did and achieved the same things he did, but that he was the one w

"Does it diminish Einstein's accomplishments to say that other people could have done what he did and achieved the same things he did, but that he was the one who happened to do it?" Well, yes it does. That's the paradox. Greatness must surely be, no pun intended, relative to something. If other people not only could, but would have achieved the same feat, how can it not diminish the special-ness of a particular person doing it? And yet, many people feel, instinctively, that what Einstein, Newton, etc. did is, in some sense, special. You argue that the resolution to this is to recognise the importance of the results themselves. I would argue that is missing the point. The historical importance of the theory is a different thing from the achievement of the person who discovered it, although the more impact theories will, inevitably, draw more attention to the accomplishments of their discoverers. My resolution to this paradox is to recognise that the standards of greatness for an individual's achievements cannot be fairly compared with those of a group. They can only be fairly compared with what could be expected of the average individual human in the same circumstances. When judged against the abilities and achievements of the average, or even above-average, human, what Einstein achieved was incredible. Likewise, we instinctively respond positively to any story of success against adversity, even if the actual achievement isn't special out of a particular context. A person injured in a car accident, who spends a year obstinately learning to walk again, isn't achieving anything that most children don't do, but we applaud their determination, and the outcome in the context of their individual situation. Great scientists present us with achievements on the opposite end of this spectrum. They are gifted individuals who did even more than could have been expected, and in the context of what the average individual human achieves in their lifetime, there's no doubt that they are something special.