Who's Your Favorite Historical Figure?

[Jesster]

In a thread full of impressive people who changed the world, I'm going to go with an artist instead. M. C. Escher.

[Pat Mustard]

Better put my picks down after pissing all over Churchill.

Ashoka and Frank Aiken, both for the same reason.

[Mr Greene]

Let's see, I may have to compile a shortlist...

Sir Edward Pellew, Sir Stamford Raffles, Col. T E Lawrence, Charles Darwin, Archimedes...

[purplepurpose]

Stalin. His name from russian almost translates as Steel. And he indeed was a badass.

[vorlon13]

Stalin. His name from russian almost translates as Steel. And he indeed was a badass.

Beria was worse.

[Silver]

Robert Green Ingersoll.

Any non-believer who has never heard of this man clearly has no clue about anything.

[vorlon13]

Some authors:

Isaac Asimov (particularly his science essays)

Arthur Clarke

Carl Sagan

Cecil Adams

[Firefighter01]

Peter The Great for me. He constantly sought new knowledge abroad so that it would benefit his country. A giant of a man at 6 foot 8 inches tall, especially in those times.

He was ruthless and cruel, but he was also an awesome leader and farsighted.

[Thumpalumpacus]

Admiration would really require a perfect person.

I disagree with this. I find folks admirable who work through their flaws. Churchill, mentioned above, and Abraham Lincoln, are two of my favorites. Both deeply flawed, both failures at many things they attempted, but both stalwart in how they faced the difficulties of their times. Both leading nations through deep troubles on what seemed to be, even if it wasn't, a bone-deep strength of character. Both racist, one an alcoholic, both widely read and one well-educated, one a bumpkin risen above his station in life.

I find a community in their individual endeavors that goes beyond their clay feet. In their individuals ways, they each surpassed past failures and came through when the shit hit the fan. That's the sort of character I admire.

[abaris]

I disagree with this. I find folks admirable who work through their flaws. Churchill, mentioned above, and Abraham Lincoln, are two of my favorites.

Point is, as I said, I'm very careful with extremes. Admiration as well as hatred.

There are certainly certain things I admire in certain persons. But the whole person? No, according to my definition of admiration, I don't have that feeling for any historical person. Not even artists, who's work I certainly admire. I love Wagner, just to give one example, but there's the person behind the work. And he certainly wasn't admirable. I admire Mozart's work, and, going by all accounts, I like him as a person, but he certainly wasn't admirable in everything he did.