Quote from Dragon⁰⁷⁷

whoever invented fire

That guy, definitely.

do they have to be people who actually have been proven to at one point in time literally existed? because i'm not convinced that jesus and muhammed ever did (along with most religious top figures from the ancient past)...

Moved to debate section because it is clear that Main is filled with dumb-asses.

Quote from Real

do they have to be people who actually have been proven to at one point in time literally existed? because i'm not convinced that jesus and muhammed ever did (along with most religious top figures from the ancient past)...

There's more evidence for the existance of Jesus than there is for Julius Ceaser. Scientific btw. The bible does not count as evidence.

Nevertheless I would take Jesus out and replace him with Moses. I am an atheist so I don't believe Jesus would have taught what he did without the influence of Moses and the others from the earlier scriptures. There were others but he brought down the commandments so he has modern day influence too.

Quote from Kaas

We where vague, I'll give you that, but if we don't know the names that doesn't make them not influential ^^

Like how I just named a few Greek philosophers. I'm betting that Socrates had someone he learned from too, since that was part of their tradition, but I'm not able to name him.
But I'll just rephrase my first post then.


I think Socrates was one of the most influential people in history.

Ah, Socrates, the father of western philosophy. I've studied all three of those you have mentioned, and, although influential, they're nowhere near the most influential people in history. Sure, they influenced Aquinas, Freud, Jung, but in reality these guys didn't change much, they just changed psychology. Okay, they changed psychology and philosophy quite a lot, but not enough to be the most influential people in history.

And to Real who questioned Jesus' and Muhammed's existence - there's as much evidence for them existing as, say, Henry VIII or any Roman Emperor, and in some cases, more. History and science accepts them to have existed.

Quote from Dandy

Ah, Socrates, the father of western philosophy. I've studied all three of those you have mentioned, and, although influential, they're nowhere near the most influential people in history. Sure, they influenced Aquinas, Freud, Jung, but in reality these guys didn't change much, they just changed psychology. Okay, they changed psychology and philosophy quite a lot, but not enough to be the most influential people in history.

And to Real who questioned Jesus' and Muhammed's existence - there's as much evidence for them existing as, say, Henry VIII or any Roman Emperor, and in some cases, more. History and science accepts them to have existed.

They totally chanced the way people looked toward science and political ideologies.
But of course religious figures are an obvious pick, but they too much of a speculation for me.

What they say is speculation, but that doesn't change the fact that they have exerted huge influence on the world.

what about the ancient Greeks i know its not one person but they did invent early democracy.

I think really this whole thing rests on how we define influence. Mao Tse Tung is probably the person who directly affected the most people in the biggest way but Jesus/Moses has influenced over a much longer time.

Goddangit, I can't narrow it down to 5! Hell, I can't even put them in order!

The only one I will place at #1 is Thales of Miletus. He was the first true scientist in recorded history. He's the first person who tried explaining the world in terms of natural phenomena rather than supernatural mysticism, and as such is the true father of scientific inquiry.

The following are in no particular order.

George Orwell - One of the most politically influential people, he is famous for his books 1984 and Animal Farm, both of which are warnings about the evils of facism.

Galileo Galilei - Responsible for the application of telescopes in astronomy (they were invented for terrestrial use) and for improving the design of them, plus he was instrumental in creating our current model of the universe.

Isaac Newton - The most influential physicist and mathematician, Newton created the equations on which we measure gravity, orbital velocity, escape velocity, and many other important mathematical models of the universe.

Albert Einstein - Arguably one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century, and maybe even the greatest physicist who ever lived, Einstein is most famous for his theories of general and special relativity. He also aided the popularization of science, and was a key figure in the creation of the nuclear bomb,

Thomas Jefferson - The man responsible for modern democratic republic government, he was also a gifted biologist, paleontologist, philosopher, writer, mathematician, and orator. He is also my favorite figure in American political history.

Charles Darwin - Born on the same day as Abraham Lincoln (Same day of the same year!) he will likely be remembered in a similar way: as a great emancipator. Responsible for the theory of biological evolution by means of natural selection, Darwin was an incredible scientist. His theory is constantly confirmed by new branches of science that weren't in existence when he was alive, such as genetics and molecular biology. His 200th birthday was on February 12th this year.

Stephen Hawking - One of the two most influential scientists alive today, Hawking is also the most recognizable, by his wheelchair and computerized voice if not by his name. He is the most gifted cosmologist alive, and is constantly making new discoveries about the universe. He is also extremely brave, having gone through the horror of Lou Gherigs' Disease (The cause of his paralysis) and come out with a smile, intellectual cutlass, powerful wit, and optimistic view of the future.

Richard Dawkins - One of the most celebrated biologists alive, he is also an incredibly articulate orator, and is widely known for his influence on the popularization of science today.



I know, I'm a science geek.

Quote from zed

There's more evidence for the existance of Jesus than there is for Julius Ceaser. Scientific btw. The bible does not count as evidence.

It's awesome hearing you say that, though if you could show some of that evidence, and also provide a comparison analysis where someone has actually judged the amount of evidence supporting Caesar and Jesus against each other, what you say might actually have any substance.

Also, I'm surprised. Either by my lack of skimming skills or the fact that no one has mentioned Hitler yet. Either way, I haven't seen him on any lists. I mean, the guy was indirectly responsible for the death of 60 million people. That's gotta count for something.

@Ash: I think I could name 100 people that I feel are more influential than Orwell lol.

Also, I need to look up this Thales guy, I've never heard of him.

Quote from Dragon⁰⁷⁷

@Ash: I think I could name 100 people that I feel are more influential than Orwell lol.

Also, I need to look up this Thales guy, I've never heard of him.

Oddly, many people haven't. However, he is the originator of scientific inquiry, and gets an automatic high vote from me because of that.

And I think Orwell is quite influential, thank you very much.

Quote from Ash

Oddly, many people haven't. However, he is the originator of scientific inquiry, and gets an automatic high vote from me because of that.

And I think Orwell is quite influential, thank you very much.

He also thought that earthquakes were caused by the Earth being in an ocean and waves rocking it.

Automatic low vote for me.


I just don't see how Orwell has been influential. His ideas are good, but I just don't really think he changed much. It's cool though, this whole thing is just an opinion.

Quote from Dragon⁰⁷⁷

He also thought that earthquakes were caused by the Earth being in an ocean and waves rocking it.
.

Well, it was a start!