The Great People of Real Life

[puglover]

I'd say Jesus deserves first place on any list of the most influential people in history. Yes, I am a Christian, but historically he is the most influential man on world culture to ever live. How many cultures have been formed, wars started and prevented, hospitals and charities built, monastaries founded, and lives dedicated in his name? And this is 2000 years after his death.

Isaac Newton certainly deserves second place. After all, his theories were the basis for almost all scientific theories afterward. Not to mention his theories were the basis for most humanist worldviews that would emerge in the twentieth century.

 

[Princeps]

No - this is eurocentric not because the people are European , but because the non-Europeans added are the ones the Europeans think are important .

I completely agree. I felt little awful when I read the list.

#4: Muhammad
About right as well.

Mohammed would be first in my opinion. He radically turned history around.

#3: Issac Newton
He is certaintly the number 1 physisist I would name. I would put him lower in the list though. It is my impression that his theories were not imediatly made opplicable, and it is machanics, not physics that revolutionized the world.

Agreed. But I fear that many non-European scientist and scholars, without whom we wouldn't have Isaac, are ignored.

#2: Aristotle
I would not put him so high up.

Way over-rated. Honestly, I think he wouldn't be in the list.

#1: Jesus Christ
I agree here.

I don't. Jesus was just a preacher. Constantine was more important. Same goes with Saul.

 

[Masquerouge]

I'd say Jesus deserves first place on any list of the most influential people in history. Yes, I am a Christian, but historically he is the most influential man on world culture to ever live. How many cultures have been formed, wars started and prevented, hospitals and charities built, monastaries founded, and lives dedicated in his name? And this is 2000 years after his death.

I believe one of the reasons why Muhammad was put before Jesus, and I agree with it, is that Muhammad did more DURING HIS LIFETIME than Jesus did during his - Muhammad was not only a religious leader, but a military and political one.
Everything you said about Jesus is true for Muhammad, the difference is, Muhammad already had an empire when he died.

 

[Phlegmak]

No - this is eurocentric not because the people are European , but because the non-Europeans added are the ones the Europeans think are important .

Maybe there are equally silly lists published in Iran, India, or China that we don't know about that are Asia-centric?

 

[Phlegmak]

By the way, if George Dubya's wars lead to a Muslim-West war that kills 1,000,000,000 people, should George Dubya be #1 on the list?

 

[Adamb0mb]

In no particular order

Darwin, Newton, Pasteur, Freud, Edison, Einstein, Galileo, Gandhi, St. Paul, Muhammed

 

[Souron]

By the way, if George Dubya's wars lead to a Muslim-West war that kills 1,000,000,000 people, should George Dubya be #1 on the list?

You'd have a hard time argueing how Bush is more influencial than Hitler, Stalin, Gangis Khan, and Attila the Hun, following that arguement.

 

[Souron]

Mohammed would be first in my opinion. He radically turned history around.

Yeah, but compaired to christainity, Islam is the next thing up. The crusades, the massive amounts of missionaries, witch burning, all that was done in the name of Jesus christ.

Agreed. But I fear that many non-European scientist and scholars, without whom we wouldn't have Isaac, are ignored.

Like who?.

Way over-rated. Honestly, I think he wouldn't be in the list.

Arstotle is often compaired to Newton and Einstein in his contributions to physics. In fact most history of science courses, books, and other references invariably mention him.
But I suppose the arguement could be made that "if it weren't for him, someone else would have done it anyway."

I don't. Jesus was just a preacher. Constantine was more important. Same goes with Saul.

That's a good point. But how do you devide the credit for christainity then.

Also, one of the most influencial of christian teachings, the one that inspired the most historic acts, was jesus's "command" to spread the his word. Saul certaintly contributed to this alot, but Constantine himself was not majorly influenced by this point, expept for the purpose of uniting the empire.

If jews had discovered america, the indies, or southern africa, I doubt there would be such a strong missionairy presence in those areas throught history.