Who Are The Smartest People Who Ever Lived?

[+ Avalon]

I'd say Aristotle, DaVinci, Einstein, Hawking.

 

Maybe someone can add a person from India or China?

[+ honcho]

India - Ramanujan ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srinivasa_Ramanujan )

[+ FrankR]

I'd say Aristotle, DaVinci, Einstein, Hawking.

 

Maybe someone can add a person from India or China?

I would have to go with DaVinci. Galileo gets special mention for being smart, but also demonstrating sheer guts and determination.

[Quincy_7]

The Hero of Alexandria has to be pretty high up on that list.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_of_Alexandria

[+ WilliamM]

Political, but did much more:

 

Benjamin Franklin

[+ José Soplanucas]

I am not going to disclose any personal information.

[+ Avalon]

Political, but did much more:

 

Benjamin Franklin

 

I like Ben now. I hate, absolutely hate daylight savings time and when I thought that he was behind it that turned me off to him. But then I read it wasn't his idea so I'm now okay with him.

[+ sniper]

Given what fraction of mankind historically has lived in abject poverty, it's quite possible the smartest person who ever lived was a nobody.

[+ nycman]

I would argue that Einstein...and even more so Hawking....are vastly overrated.

 

They get high marks because 99% of the population (including me) can’t follow

the majority of their logic and thus can’t completely understand their ideas.

 

I define genius as much more than blunt scientific knowledge.

 

I’d nominate:

Richard Feynman

Leonardo da Vinci

Alexander McQueen

Samuel Beckett

Martha Graham

Lawerence Ferlinghetti

Pablo Picasso

Tennessee Williams

Isaac Asimov

Sigmund Freud

Frank Lloyd Wright

and Cher.

[+ g56whiz]

I like Ben now. I hate, absolutely hate daylight savings time and when I thought that he was behind it that turned me off to him. But then I read it wasn't his idea so I'm now okay with him.

Ben was clever but Thomas Jefferson was the genius.

[+ Avalon]

I can't reply directly to the post by WilliamM.

 

I was surprised to see he listed the play "Hamilton". I thought it was only for individuals. But I see from the Wiki link it is for the creators of Hamilton.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Center_Honors

 

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Now I see that post has disappeared.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Avalon

[+ sniper]

Cher? I mean, she's a good performer but I was under the impression others wrote her songs and designed her outfits.