1. Who is the most influential* person in human history?
2. Who is the most influential person in 20th century?
3. Who is the greatest person in human history?
4. Who is the greatest person in 20th century?
5. Who is the greatest military commander in human history?
6. Who is the greatest military commander in 20th century?
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* when you say "influential" it could be good or bad
What I really liked about these questions is that, they really got me to think, what I consider as "influence", "greatness", and "command".
5 comments:
Here are my answeres (for my own questions :D)
1. Prophet Muhammad
He is the creator of the second largest reliogion of the world, but have far more influece on Muslims than Jesue Christ on Christians
2. Vladmir Lenin
Communism was the second most powerful force that shaped the 20th century (after neo-colonialism). And Lenin is the person who put the theory into practice.
3. Lord Buddha
There is no need to explain.
4. Ernesto "Che: Guevara
The commitment for what he beleaved in was just great, but the mark he left on all the people he knew is unparalled. And there are very few people who showed a similar love for the suffering.
5. Subutai
The Mongolian General was a military master mind. His revolutionary tactics were devestating to all the enemies he came across, and all of them were just brushed aside.
6. Vo Nguyen Giap
As the Commander in Chief of the People's Army of Vietnam, Giap always faced superior enemies with superior weapons who outnumbered and outgunned him everytime, (Japanese, Chinese, French, Americans) but was victorious everytime. His adaptaion of the Mao's ideas of the People's War to the conditions he faced in Vietnam was brilliant and succesful.
This is the list in my mind.
1. Jesus, Dont know whether he expected it or not at that time.. he became so influential every corner of the worlds (Hmm..that reminds me I watched the movie "The man from the earth" recently.. It was pretty interesting too)
2. There are many if you consider the world of science : Arthur C Clerk, Albert Einstein, Bill gates. But for me, one person who is very interesting is Warren Buffet, who reminds me of the Jeffrey Archer novel "Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less".
3. Lord Buddha of course.
4. Mahathma Ghandi maybe, coz in my mind greatness involves a lot of sacrifices for something you believe in. (Of course for betterment)
5. King Dutugemunu of Sri Lanka (2nd Century BC) must have been one great commander in the history even though the world didn't know much about him. And if you consider the whole world, King Asoka of India (3rd Century BC) is among the greatest people in my mind.
6. Don't know much about world history, but from what I know, the former Cuban leader, Fidel Castro must have a place among the greatest military leaders of all time.
Ok.. thats it..
I guess I have to share my opinion too.
1. Henry VII
He began the British imperialization (the most influential colonization ever), although did not live to see much of a success. He sent off Giovanni Cabot who found North America – and we know what happened afterwards. Also Henry-VII initiated the missions to African and Asia, which changed the world for ever.
2. Ed Roberts
Roberts introduced a computing kit called “Altair” in `70s, at an affordable cost. This brought a large computer enthusiast community together. Which laid the roots of the huge market of personal computers and the computer hobbyist culture. Today we live in world where everything is computerized - and it all began with Altair.
3. Lord Buddha
4. Martin Luther King Jr.
5. Hannibal
6. Giap
I stand corrected by Nuwan.
1.Maybe Prophet Muhammed
I think this is a tricky one. But Muhammed is the most influential today. Prophet Muhammed’s followers do compensate for their lack of critical thinking with their zealous fervor.
I assume that this influence is a passing thing. So if you do take the current state of affairs” yes” I will agree with Sube in that Mohammed was the most influential but in the long term I would say this is bound to change.
Even though it is hard to say what lay in the future. My assumption is that even though individuals like Marquis De Condorcet and Emile Durkheim are not well known their theories on Modernization and Modern Sociology will have a more lasting influence on times to come. But then again they do not have “knowing” followers, they were merely pointing out the fact that people themselves could develop and change their own society. This would mean that the influence of singular individuals will cease people will be more a victim on general trends.
2.It doesn’t please me in saying that it is either the Pope or Oprah Winfrey. More proof to the fact that majority is ignorant.
3.Lord Buddha – I don’t think there was any doubt there.
4.Malcom X and MLK Jr.
Malcom X mainly because he was a true individual who honestly gave his heart and soul to what he believed in and actually ended up sacrificing his life in the process. I many aspects he was a better man than MLK and ones of his most admirable traits was that he was humble enough to admit to his mistakes when he was part of “The Nation of Islam’. Gandhi and El Che come after these two.
5.Saladin or Napolean
Spilt between Saladin or Salah al-Din was a twelfth century Kurdish Muslim warrior from Tikrit, in present day northern Iraq. He founded the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Mecca Hejaz and Diyar Bakr. Saladin is renowned in both the Muslim and Christian worlds for leadership and military prowess tempered by his chivalry and merciful nature, during his war against the Crusaders. Salah ad-Din is an honorific title which translates to The Righteousness of the Faith from Arabic.
And of cause Napoleon. He was more a conqueror than mere commander. What separates him from most is the level of opponents he had to face at his time. He was not a demolisher of mere tribes and primitive cultures he was conquering the most advanced countries in his time.
6.Erich von Manstein
Erich von Manstein Field Marshall for Germany in WW – II in the much underrated Eastern Front. I do believe in Rommel’s Brilliance in North Africa but the African front was over Hyped. The massive undertaking that was the Eastern front gave the most demanding challenges to military tacticians. The continuous meddling by Hitler and Stalin on this front didn’t make it easy for the generals either. His undertaking with the Red army under constant pressure from Hitler was at most times above par to any general in the 20th century especially in battles of Crimea and Krasnograd.
1.Hitler
2.Gandhi
3.Medha Patker ( narmada bachao andolan)
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