cairo140
2+2=5
Recently, I stumbled upon a very interesting book: The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History. The author Michael H. Hart assembled his list of the most influential persons in world history.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_100_(book)
Some of his key criteria were the actual acts of the individual, the long-term effects, and what the world would be like if it were not for them. The top six he noted were:
1. Muhammad (Founder of Islam & Political Leader)
2. Issac Newton (Discoverer of Macroscopic Physics Laws and Calculus)
3. Jesus of Nazareth (Initial Prophet of Christianity)
4. Buddha (Founder of Buddhism)
5. Confucius (Founder of Confucianism)
6. St. Paul (The Original Christian Missionary)
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My Own Paper
I agreed (roughly) with Hart's order and his justifications. When I brought the book to my friends, and shared its ideas, it certainly stirred up an enormous amount of controversy. I heard from religious apologists of all kinds to science advocates and the like. Long story short, the consequence is that I have chosen to take on my own venture to assemble my own list on a slightly different set of criteria.
Attached is my initial draft on my premise, and my key criteria are:
My Original List:
#10: Martin Luther
#9: Mao Tse-tung
#8: Confucius
#7: Louis Pasteur
#6: Buddha
#5: St. Paul (Saul)
#4: Muhammad
#3: Issac Newton
#2: Aristotle
#1: Jesus Christ
Other Candidates:
- Moses
- Johann Gutenberg
- Albert Einstein
- Karl Marx
- Shih Huang Ti (uniter of China and builder of Great Wall)
- Augustus Caesar
- Christopher Columbus
- Constantine the Great
- Alexander the Great
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The one biggest question that is going to pop out at the outset is why did I put Jesus as number one? The reality is that he did very little to actually spread Christianity (most of that was done by St. Paul and Jesus' apostles). He was probably not responsible for the miraculous acts that the Bible discusses.
But the reason that I put him number one is this. What would the world be like and how would the world have developed if it weren't for Jesus? If it weren't for Jesus, it is certain that Christianity as it was known would never have existed. Communities would have no such religious base upon which to unite; kings in the medieval ages would not be able to rely on Christian divine right; the crusades of Pope Urban II would never have happened. Jesus is just that important because he existed, and if he didn't, our world would be VERY VERY different.
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I hope to expand on my justifications at another time when I have the time to, but until then, I would very much appreciate if you could co mment on my selection, or feed me some ideas for justification.
Happy debating everyone!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_100_(book)
Some of his key criteria were the actual acts of the individual, the long-term effects, and what the world would be like if it were not for them. The top six he noted were:
1. Muhammad (Founder of Islam & Political Leader)
2. Issac Newton (Discoverer of Macroscopic Physics Laws and Calculus)
3. Jesus of Nazareth (Initial Prophet of Christianity)
4. Buddha (Founder of Buddhism)
5. Confucius (Founder of Confucianism)
6. St. Paul (The Original Christian Missionary)
--------------------------------------------------------------
My Own Paper
I agreed (roughly) with Hart's order and his justifications. When I brought the book to my friends, and shared its ideas, it certainly stirred up an enormous amount of controversy. I heard from religious apologists of all kinds to science advocates and the like. Long story short, the consequence is that I have chosen to take on my own venture to assemble my own list on a slightly different set of criteria.
Attached is my initial draft on my premise, and my key criteria are:
1. This is NOT a list of the "best" people. Even if a person was utterly evil, he must be given credit for those acts (if they did indeed change the world). Similarly, a person does not gain value from being a good individual.
2. The person and his credentials must be indisputably REAL. Yet another seemingly stupid rule. But this one is important. If disputed people or feats were accepted, Noah would recieve credit for saving all life, and Jesus would recieve credit for walking on water.
3. The "what if" factor. The question must always be asked: What if this person never existed? Would the world be very different? For instance, if Bell didn't invent the telephone, somebody else would have shortly thereafter, and the world wouldn't be much different. But if a Frenchman discovered North America instead of Columbus, then we would be living in a different reality.
4. This is influence on WORLD HISTORY. A person who contributed significantly to one country, like Bismarck or Peter the Great, may not be that important on the world stage.
2. The person and his credentials must be indisputably REAL. Yet another seemingly stupid rule. But this one is important. If disputed people or feats were accepted, Noah would recieve credit for saving all life, and Jesus would recieve credit for walking on water.
3. The "what if" factor. The question must always be asked: What if this person never existed? Would the world be very different? For instance, if Bell didn't invent the telephone, somebody else would have shortly thereafter, and the world wouldn't be much different. But if a Frenchman discovered North America instead of Columbus, then we would be living in a different reality.
4. This is influence on WORLD HISTORY. A person who contributed significantly to one country, like Bismarck or Peter the Great, may not be that important on the world stage.
My Original List:
#10: Martin Luther
#9: Mao Tse-tung
#8: Confucius
#7: Louis Pasteur
#6: Buddha
#5: St. Paul (Saul)
#4: Muhammad
#3: Issac Newton
#2: Aristotle
#1: Jesus Christ
Other Candidates:
- Moses
- Johann Gutenberg
- Albert Einstein
- Karl Marx
- Shih Huang Ti (uniter of China and builder of Great Wall)
- Augustus Caesar
- Christopher Columbus
- Constantine the Great
- Alexander the Great
---------------------------------------------------------
The one biggest question that is going to pop out at the outset is why did I put Jesus as number one? The reality is that he did very little to actually spread Christianity (most of that was done by St. Paul and Jesus' apostles). He was probably not responsible for the miraculous acts that the Bible discusses.
But the reason that I put him number one is this. What would the world be like and how would the world have developed if it weren't for Jesus? If it weren't for Jesus, it is certain that Christianity as it was known would never have existed. Communities would have no such religious base upon which to unite; kings in the medieval ages would not be able to rely on Christian divine right; the crusades of Pope Urban II would never have happened. Jesus is just that important because he existed, and if he didn't, our world would be VERY VERY different.
---------------------------------------------------------
I hope to expand on my justifications at another time when I have the time to, but until then, I would very much appreciate if you could co mment on my selection, or feed me some ideas for justification.
Happy debating everyone!
.
