To help us reverse some of the negative comments in recent “your view” topics, we are going to do a positive your view – we are going to look at which one man or woman has contributed the most to the betterment of society throughout all history. You can pick anyone from anytime or any place.
What One Person Has Done Most Good For Society?
My answer: This is a very tough question for all of us – and me especially! I am torn between a number of different people for my answer, but finally, at a push, I have chosen Alexander Fleming. It was he who discovered penicillin, for which he won a shared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. How many countless millions of people have had their lives saved by his discovery? How many numerous diseases have been wiped out? I was tempted to pick Louis Pasteur for his earlier work in microbiotics, but he lost out because his method of pasteurization prevents me from getting great unpasteurized cheese in New Zealand!
This might create some arguments but I say Jesus.
Oh wow, I have no idea what to say to this because all of the good in the world is a collective of the many efforts of many people.
I would have to say though, if I had to pick one person it would probably be Martin Luther King Jr. I think one of the most important things we have is a country (I am referring to the United States) where people are equal regardless of race and skin color, and I think that is largely due to Dr.King’s dreams and leadership
Okay, first argument. I believe (not being a Christian myself) that Jesus, as a historical figure did a lot of good in terms of spreading a message of love and peace, and I give him credit for that, but I think, unfortunatly, there has been a lot of horrible things done in the name of Christianity. Whether or not it’s fair to blame any of that on Jesus it sort of irrelevant because despite the good things which I believe he tried to do, I sometimes wonder if the world might have been a better place without him.
G-d
Don’t tell S_R.
Teasin’
Jamie Frater!!!!
(Wait, let me think about that one!)
Hi, Vera. Take a look at “top posters” and get posting. Your LU family needs you.
Hitler!!
Just kiddin’. Aaron, don’t be dissin’ JC.
I’m pretty sure nobody flew airplanes into the twin towers or goes around terrorizing other countries with suicide bombers, blowing up trains, etc in the name of Jesus Christ. Yeah, there have been a lot of wars based on religion but to say Christianity is the cause is just not accurate because religion, in general, was the cause.
I have a feeling these comments are going to get out of hand. For people like me, Alexander Fleming is no help…I’m allergic to penicillin.
Because I’m a huge baseball fan I’m gonna say Jackie Robinson. I don’t think any explanation is needed for what he did to the game and society.
Astraya I kicked off cuz of S_R. Do I really make a difference here? Why me? I’m just anyone, girlfriend.
Why does the site read so different? I’;m lost.
for anyone having difficulty accessing the site, commenting or thinks the page looks kinda funky…there are site problems being addressed. so just be patient. and for more information check in forums.
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George W. Bush
Sidharta Gaotama. His teachings are remarkable and I see things in a wiser perspective bcos of him.
This is a tough question, but I will say Martin Luther King Jr.
Hulk Hogan. For 20 years he vanquished every nogoodnik in the world: Andre the Giant, the Iron Sheik, Sgt. Slaughter, King Kong Bundy and countless others. He was a tremendous role model to all the children and a real American who fought for the rights of every man.
I would also say Jesus, he seemed like a good guy
Hard to tell really, different people have done different amounts of good in different fields.
i think its jesus(but im not christian) or to anybody else who gave the message of love and peace(in case jesus wasnt real)…..i just believed in his message of love, peace, and forgiveness which is far more better and positive than this so-called message of salvation(which started wars and other atrocities, which i think contradicts the message of peace and love) which i think some political and religious cretin made up after his death for the purpose of controlling people…
.his intentions were good, its just after his death…the world seemed to have forgotten this message and instead followed the message of salvation(which indicates self-interest) in order to get to heaven…i know this because i have seen these people and they just judge, hate, hold grudges, kill people, commit unnatural acts…all in the name of god and salvation
even though..i still think this message of love is never forgotten(even if it is seldomly followed)..there are still some people like us, that even if we do not go to church, read the bible or follow the ten commandments…we know the true message of love, peace, and forgiveness better than those who DO read the bible, go to church, and follow the ten commandments(who i presume, give more importance to the message of salvation than the other message)…..well thats how he impacted people’s lives until now
Liked this, especially because many people hate church because of religious wars. I think that almost all churches stray from what their founder tried to teach when he dies, because people see their death as an opportunity to manipulate people. Jesus was great, it’s just that people that came after him weren’t.
I have no idea right now… let me think about it for a few days
jfrater – I suspect they’re quite hard to find but you can buy some unpasteurised cheeses in NZ. Depends what sort you want and how much it’s worth to you I guess.
http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/dairy/publications/information-pamphlets/rawmilk/rawmilk.htm
This s a great topic and so wide open to so many individuals, plus it’s very subjective and will most likely be the opinion of ones own agenda except for myself because I’m above all of that (just kidding of course)
Anyway for my # 1 pick I’m going along with B_Rad.
Talk about a great first comment. B_Rad is thinking I’m allergic to that stuff (penicillin) so I’m going with Jackie Robinson. I have to admit I was thinking about him too and I’m not even allergic to penicillin so what does that say about me?
There are so many great people that have given so much so we can live the way we are living that it’s just impossible to commit to one person. So I would say Jackie Robinson is one of many.
NOT JESUS, since the middle ages, most of the killed people were killed in the name of the lord, i’d say: GEORGE CARLIN, think think about it…
Ok, i tried googleing the guy but i just couldn’t find him, he’s been in the news rescently. Aparently he donated 4billion dollars anonymously, and only admited doing so when he was found out [plans on giving 4more]:)
To me this has to be the most selfless philantropist today, and somehow givs me hope that will survive this millenia
)
To me this guy isn’t the most important in the world in general but more of today, cuz he gives hope, and is that not sucha basic thing…..and midget p*rn
)
basic human thing*
Norman Borlaug
He is an American agronomist who, in the 1950′s and 1960′s developed new strains of wheat that were resistant to disease and also very high-yielding. These genetically-modified crops were so successful that he is widely credited with saving perhaps A BILLION PEOPLE from starvation. Also, as a result, countries such as Pakistan and India became not only self-sufficient in food production, but became exporters, thus helping improve the global economy. He very deservedly won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts. This amazing man is definitely not a household name, but his achievements have undoubtedly done the most good for the greatest number of people in the 20th century, if not in the entirety of human history. His story is also a big middle-finger to those who protest genetically-modified food and fail to see the obvious benefits of its implementation. Penn and Teller’s TV show “Bull*****” even profiled him in an episode, calling him the “greatest human being” in history. Check him out on Wikipedia or just Google him for more.
To number 1,
WTF buddy?
A baseball player???? I couldn’t even tell you what team he played for. Yeah, he got to play baseball which was breaking a racial barrier, whatever. What about Martin Luther King, or Susan B Anthony. JFK? Ghandi?
I’m going with Batman.
People kill in the name of Jesus everyday.
Jackie F*cking Robinson! Sheesh re-re.
Charles Darwin 1809-1882.
Contributed enormously to the advancement of human understanding of the natural world which was the catalyst to enlighten generations, laying the foundation of modern biology and for bringing science to the fore.
Without Darwin we would just have “goddidit”
G.W Bush – Part 2 (means .jr)
just kiddin.
I cant Decide.
And yeah, did no-one say einstein ?!
Like Tempyra said, Let me think over it and I’ll give my simple one word answer later. Hopefully.
It would be easier for a lot of us to decide if you provided some options, like in a poll. But mainly, the question is not right, it should be much more specific than this.
I’m serious. Hitler. I love everyone, but think about it.
wow. to answer this-one has to realize that there are agreat many, many, wondrous and amazing individuals who changed the way we all live, for better or worse! to name a;; is likened to counting all the grains of sand on Ft. Lauderdale beach!
Science:
Sir Alfred Russel Wallace. Although Charles Darwin wrote Origin of Species, he was pen-pals with this young naturalist who was beginning to come up with the same conclusions concerning ‘decent with modification’ that Darwin had had… Wallace was a young whipper-snapper, and was actively in the field, conducting research, braving the wilderness, and writing his finding to Darwin. Darwin got a little perturbed, and hastily jotted out his famous work prior to Wallace doing anything of the sort. But the actually theory of evolution is as much his as it was Darwin’s.
I’m thinking maybe the person who invented the printing press did the world a pretty big favour. Dunno who it was or even if it was an individual or group effort.
John guttenburg. Check spelling
I’m gonna go with Alexander Fleming, too. My answer for the Your View topic for what do you think is the greatest invention was penicillin.
James: Jesus? If you’re not just being a troll, please elaborate.
OMG my comments are going back in time.
What meiz said.
Tempyra – Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press and it is an excellent choice.
Gutenburg. (Or whoever else(s) was responsible for movable-type printing.)
Johannes Gutenberg, hands down. The other inventions and scientific discoveries are great and those folks deserve credit. None of them would have been made, or made so early, without Gutenberg’s printing press. It revolutionized education and the sharing of information.
Aaron – You are seriously mistaken. You don’t want to know the type of place this would be without Jesus.
I’ll say Florence Nightingale, “the lady with the lamp”. Just by introducing common hygiene she improved hospital conditions, and saved many lives. She founded the modern nursing profession. She was an excellent mathematician and a feminist too.
After many minutes of thinking, I would have to say that Batman has done the most good (atleast for me personally). I mean he helped clean up my hometown of Gotham City from countless thugs and robbers and many bigger, badder criminals like The Joker, Two-Face, The Penguin, and The Riddler. He has been a real savior for me and helps me feel safe every day.
Jesus Christ saved every single one of us. Enough said.
I’m gonna have to think about this one, so I’ll say this for now:
Cyn said:
“my current time is 2:00amish CST. Saturday.”
Amish time? I don’t expect that to be too accurate…
Kreachure -
had some site probs overnite. there were testing comments that have since been deleted. all should be right in the list universe now.
Cyn: Er, okay, good… I guess my Amish joke failed miserably.
Amish? Get it? No? Fine. My bad.
Neron, Caligula and Hernán Cortés (:P kidding)
JK: About Einstein. People nowadays still think in a Newtonian point of view. Einstein isn’t anything more than a funny genius image to ilustrate science in XX century. There will be a huge change in society when people’ll be able to understand modern physics. Even Einstein couldn’t assimilate the change he started. It’s like: “forget about everything you thought knowing. Quantum mechanics is real, and your computer is working thanks to it.”
I hate to say that, but maybe the gratest chanches were done by some ancient philosophers from Socrates till René Descartes.
And really, by the terms describing the topic: Hitler could be one of them. His madness made the whole world think about a huge change in society, trying to make a better one where no more Hitlers can exist nor climb to the power.
Kreachure -
ROFLMAO! better now?
sorry. my head was elsewhere.
Oh right, Norman Borlaug! Thanks for reminding me, ohrmets.
That episode of “Bull*****!” certainly gave a good defense for that man. They said that thanks to his efforts, a billion people were saved from starvation. So my vote’s for him (not that you get to make a single vote in here…
)
Jack: No, he didn’t. He ‘saved’ some gullible morons.
I would say Fredrick Banting (not sure of spelling) or Charles Louis Alphonse Laveran.
Banting was a Canadian chemist who invented Insulin, without this millions of people would die from Diabetes every year, wiht the growing obesity rate in the U.S. more people are becoming diabetic.
Laveran was a French (I think) scientist who discovered that Malaria was transported by mosquitoes, before that almost nothign was known about the disease. More than half a billion people contract Malaria every year and all of them would die wihtout treatment, treatment that wouldnt be possible without Laveran’s work.
“Jesus Christ saved every single one of us. Enough said.”
Every one of us who happens to be a Christian. Te rest of us burn, remember?
I think Leonardo Da Vinci and William Beveridge both deserve a mention. Churchill maybe; he was certainly the right guy in the right place at the right time.
jesus christ , martin luther king jr. these to guys were killed for what they belived peace and love and unity i really thing that that they were tryen two amazing men that will always influsence others, theres no need in saying bad things about jesus because he truly was a good person and if u read about him u will see that he gave great speaches on peace and love and Martin luther king jr. was such a big part of civil rights…….
i belive that there are meny great people out there that want to help there fellow man but these are my two
The topic is too broad to pick just one person. It entirely depends on the criteria or definition of good. In the broad sense or the narrow?
Solon and Pericles for the foundations of democracy; where power is hinged on achievement and not an accident of birth. One man – One Vote, where would we be without it?
Rene Descartes for the modern (Plato did if first) principal of rationalism; that truth is discovered by reason and fact, not faith or belief. He also invented *****ytical geometry – the basis for calculus, was the first to short form math problems by using little number to signify exponents, ie – x to the power of 3. or X3 (sorry no math key board, can’t show you correctly what I mean). Without him we wouldn’t have computers or thinking machines. (his term)
Pasteur, not only for pasteurization but for the entire germ theory of disease; illness caused not by humors but by microorganisms. No such thing as spontaneous generation.
Gutenberg for the printing press and the dissemination of knowledge.
And I haven’t even touched on present day.
Besides the obvious Jesus ….
I think no one person is responsible for bringing more laughter, joy, and smiles into children all over the world than Walter Elias Disney. Walt’s works are timeless and there is not a country on the planet that hasn’t had its children touched in some way by the magic that is Disney.
The person I would nominate has neither name nor face. It is the prehistoric man who invented the WHEEL. Without the WHEEL and all it represents to transportation and technology thoroughout the ages for tens of thousands of years, we would all still be living in trees and caves, killing what we eat with handmade spears. Let’s give some credit to the inventor of the WHEEL, for no one in the history of the Nobel Prize (in any field) would have had that opportunity to advance humanity without the WHEEL!!!!! Amen.
romerozombie – keep telling yourself that.
romerozombie – keep telling yourself that.
Chickensoup – Did i say that? didn’t think so. I don’t happen to be one of those christians.
isaac newton. for every bit of modern technology we enjoy today, his discoveries are at the basis.
thomas jefferson. he put into words some pretty radical ideas that are considered mainstream today.
mlk. for putting right one of the great wrongs here in the US.
another vote for darwin, gutenberg, des cartes and socrates.
Ibn al-Haytham, father of the scientific method.
Thomas Jefferson
S_R won’t be posting. He is banned forever from the site.
jfr, (60),
Pity you only able to ban him from this site.
add ‘are’ as appropriate.
OH OH OH!
I vote for Socrates and Descartes too! I love those guys!
And Plato. He rocks too.