I'm sure there are differing opinions, but yes, Edison was a great man who contributed a lot to society. Without him we wouldn't have many things, like incandescent lightbulbs.
There was however a dark side to the man which makes him less ideal:- Was overly competitive. When Westinghouse proposed a AC transmission system to counter Edison's DC method Edison went around th e country elctrocutig styay dogs ans cats in public display to show AC's hazards
- Worked too hard, thus neglecting his family. He would be away for days sleeping at the lab.
- Took advantage of his workers. This took several forms - his workers were expected to be at work and not sleep whenever Edison was awake ...he slept only 4 hours a night, he did not honor his contract with Nikola Tesla for hs work.
- Did not give credit to others refusing to admit his workers came up with several of "his" inventions
- On the personal side he wasn't much into hygiene, refusing to bathe.
How do you work too hard to improve the world?
