Sir Ronald Fisher: Father of Modern Statistics and a Controversial Figure in Science

Sir Ronald Aylmer Fisher (February 17, 1890 – July 29, 1962) was an English statistician, evolutionary biologist, and geneticist whose ideas had a colossal impact on the development of modern science. He is often referred to as the "father of modern statistics" and "the greatest of Darwin's successors," yet his legacy remains ambiguous due to his eugenic views and later scientific positions.

Scientific Contribution

Fisher made fundamental contributions to mathematical statistics and biology. In 1918, in a paper published in the Proceedings of the Edinburgh Royal Society, he introduced the concept of variance and proposed the "infinitesimal model," demonstrating how continuous changes in phenotypic traits could be explained by Mendelian laws. This was an important step in uniting Darwinian theory of evolution with genetics.

In 1921, he introduced the concept of sufficient statistics, developed the methodology of experimental design, and made key contributions to the theory of statistical hypothesis testing. His book "The Design of Experiments" (1935) became a classic of the scientific method.

In population genetics, Fisher formulated the fundamental theorem of natural selection in 1930: the rate of increase in fitness of a population is equal to its genetic variance in fitness. He also laid the groundwork for quantitative trait genetics and used the famous Anderson iris data in his work, which formed the basis for linear discriminant analysis.

Personal Life and Career

Fisher was born in London and throughout his life combined mathematical rigor with biological intuition. He was a devout man, a patriot, and a political conservative, known as a brilliant conversationalist and lecturer.

In 1942, his eldest son, a military pilot, tragically died during a flight over Sicily. Deeply mourning this loss, Fisher separated from his wife in 1943 and returned to Cambridge, where he worked in the genetics department until 1957.

After retirement, he moved to Australia, where he began teaching at the University of Adelaide. There, on July 29, 1962, he passed away.

Controversial Views and Legacy

Despite his enormous scientific contributions, Fisher remained a controversial figure. He was an advocate of eugenics, and many of his publications appeared in the journal Annals of Eugenics. Until his last years, he expressed eugenic views, which subsequently led to a reevaluation of his legacy.

In 2020, amidst protests in the USA, a stained glass window featuring a "Latin square" celebrating Fisher was dismantled in Cambridge, and some scientific organizations removed his name from prestigious award titles.

Fisher is also known for his stubborn position regarding the link between smoking and lung cancer. As an avid pipe smoker and the father of modern statistics, he denied the causal relationship until his death, citing insufficient evidence, which drew criticism from the scientific community.

Thus, Sir Ronald Fisher remains an example of a complex scientific personality: a genius of statistics and biology whose achievements changed science, but whose views and positions continue to provoke discussions.