Foo - Who is the greatest modern thinker of our time?

So, I was reading about Sir Isaac Newton and Da Vinci last night.....then I thought to myself, who in our modern era(say roughly 1970's to present) would be considered a great thinker of our time?


The only answer that I could come up with who has made vast contributions to his field of study has been Stephen Hawking. Not only has he added so many new views on astronomy and time, but he also has done it while being confined to a wheelchair due to his disability.


So, foo, who is this modern era's greatest thinker? It can be someone in politics, the military, or a certain field of study but you have to explain WHY they should be considered this since they likely would have/are changing the landscape of their respective area of expertise.

Explody Pup and this theories on tattoed wombie warrior goddesses.

Some may say Merton, some may say well... Merton.

Dang only person I can come up with is Merton.

So many inventions and ideas are stolen. My former teacher worked on developing computers back in the first days of the microchip. He said Bill Gates is probably the biggest theif on the planet. Its a well known fact that every speach Ronald Reagen made was written up for him before he did it.

So many ideas are stolen. I say the greatest thinkers go uncredited.

Modern Philosophy

Jean Paul Sartre

michigander's former teacher

The only answer that I could come up with who has made vast contributions to his field of study has been Stephen Hawking.



A lot of physicists would argue that.

Modern thinker? I would have to say Bill Gates. He has to be a bloody genius in order to become the richest man in the world by selling substandard product at inflated costs and having almost no product support.

Seriously.

^^^^
Rotflmao

http://arts.tom.com/img/assets/200611/061116151701yzydz4.jpg

hawking? seriously doubt it.

using your limitation of "say roughly 1970's to present" i'd say it's far too early to tell.

we won't ever really know who the 'greatest thinker' of our time is, only te most popular.

they're not the same thing.

It....was.....me..!!!!!!!!

I am.

Ideas manifest through gestalt.

No one man can take credit.

Just last month I invented the internet.

I am.


Just like a feline, always thinking with your stomach.

http://www.uk.pg.com/images/iamsCatPack_IL.jpg

At the beginning of an avalanche you can point out a big rock, and say... 'My, that's important'.
But now everything is avalanche...

Now, if you were to ask me what were the books that shaped my perspective, and that I thought were important, that I can answer.

Explaining Science by Ronald N Giere
http://www.amazon.com/Explaining-Science-Cognitive-Conceptual-Foundations/dp/0226292061/ref=sr_1_2/002-2576661-0733644?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180473540&sr=8-2

Insigts and Illusions of Philosopy by Piaget
http://www.amazon.com/INSIGHTS-ILLUSIONS-PHILOSOPHY-Jean-PIAGET/dp/B000ID3ZBK/ref=sr_1_13/002-2576661-0733644?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180473596&sr=1-13

The Wheels of Commerce by Bruadel
http://www.amazon.com/Wheels-Commerce-Civilization-Capitalism-15Th-18th/dp/0520081153/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-2576661-0733644?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180473682&sr=1-2

Cities and the wealth of nations by Jane Jacobs
http://www.amazon.com/Cities-Wealth-Nations-Jane-Jacobs/dp/0394729110/ref=sr_1_7/002-2576661-0733644?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1180473727&sr=1-7

That should give you a little light reading.

What the hell, I'll cast my vote for Daniel Dennett.

Richard Dawkins certainly gets a vote, but I stand by my gestalt theory.

Robert Greene gets my nod on the intellectual side of things.

Red Green gets mine
http://www.wpt.org/blog/uploaded_images/redblog5-759068.jpg

Nicholas Negroponte

Bob Dylan

Edward Lorenz

Bill Gates

Jean Baudrillard

Discuss.

Parker & Stone F.T.W.

So many inventions and ideas are stolen. My former teacher worked on developing computers back in the first days of the microchip. He said Bill Gates is probably the biggest theif on the planet. Its a well known fact that every speach Ronald Reagen made was written up for him before he did it.

So many ideas are stolen. I say the greatest thinkers go uncredited.

This is not unique to Reagen.

Bill Watterson.

FTW.

yep, Hawking

Ideas manifest through gestalt.

No one man can take credit.

please don't bring logic into the debate.

I'll go back a few years earlier. George C. Marshall.

carl sagan

pre-retirement alan greenspan

muhamad yunus

http://img164.imageshack.us/img164/4193/bobrosssa8.jpg

John Madden

Herb Peterson (http://www.slashfood.com/2006/07/28/egg-mcmuffin-man-gets-lifetime-achievement-award/)

Bob Ross was the man, no question about it.

Some may say Merton, some may say well... Merton.

Dang only person I can come up with is Merton.

FTW!:D

Bob Dylan....

Herb Peterson (http://www.slashfood.com/2006/07/28/egg-mcmuffin-man-gets-lifetime-achievement-award/)

Not entirely true. Peterson just barely modified an eggs benedict sandwich that Jack In The Box had been making for a couple of years. His beef (pun intended) was that he was paying rent 24 hours a day, but his franchisor only offered him food to sell in the afternoon and evening, while the JITB down the road offered breakfast and made a killing.

What Peterson was famous for was the six-ring contraption that they use at McDonald’s to cook the eggs so they appear to be poached.

Chomsky rates fairly high. He basically invented or at least redefined a new field of science, ie. linguistics.
Jane Jacobs, already mentioned, completely rewrote the book on urban design.

Buckminster Fuller

Walt Disney

Martin Luthur King, Jr.

You guys are all forgetting about some great Political thinkers. My vote is for Al Gore who invented the Internet ;)

I'm with Botto on this one...too early to say.

I'm with Botto on this one...too early to say.


He also said abandon logic.:rolleyes:



:D You can't choose to do both!

Paris Hilton

http://www.doc.state.nc.us/rap/rapweb/web/thinker3.jpg

I think 70's to now is waaaay to early to pick one. So, I'll go with a 20th century person.

1st - a "thinker" is not a "scientist". I think of "a thinker" as someone who analyzes life itself, not a smart man of science. The old school scientists, like Newton, were more than just scientists, they were philosophers as well. I think Hawking may be somewhat of a philosopher, but definitely more of a scientist.

My first thoughts are:
Gandhi
Robert Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance)
Martin Luther King Jr.

20th Century person, Nikola Tesla.

Robert Pirsig (Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance)Well, don't I feel like a schmuck. I never realized until looking this book up on Amazon a second ago that it isn't a motorcycle repair manual. :o

http://www.million-bush.com/artworks/millionbush_george-bush.jpg

It's gotta be this guy. Think about it. He managed to turn a vast majority of the world against us and fast forward us through the bible to Revelations in a very short amount of time.

... It's gotta be this guy. Think about it. He managed to turn a vast majority of the world against us and fast forward us through the bible to Revelations in a very short amount of time.

He definitely managed to affect change, if you're into that apocalyptic type of thing. But did he invent the Internet? .... No! Doesn't get my vote.

the guy who came out with the pet rock...

Billy Madison
Kurt Vonnegut

Well, don't I feel like a schmuck. I never realized until looking this book up on Amazon a second ago that it isn't a motorcycle repair manual. :o


Wait until you find out it has nothing to do with Zen Buddhism, either. :)

Kurt Vonnegut

Carl Sagan

Isacc Azimov

Ray Bradbury