The greatest living human

[-james-]

Who is it?

[-james-]

You may define "great" in any way you wish.

[Lewis]

I made a thread years ago floating Paul McCartney on the basis of him being the biggest person in the biggest field, and I'm a bit stuck for an alternative.

[Baz]

Either Drake or Adam DeVine.

[7om]

The Rock. Easily.

[Ian]

Pleb, idiots.

[Spikey M]

David Attenborough. /thread

[Reg]

Greatest is hard to define but I'll go with 'achieved the most in their respective field', in which case Attenborough (may have seen more of the world than any human ever) and McCartney are decent shouts.

There's also sports people - Pele and Federer often regarded as the best of all time.

[Boydy]

Probably Tim Berners-Lee.

It's definitely not a fucking sports person or someone who sings a bit.

[John]

Probably Tim Berners-Lee.

In terms of impact on the world it almost certainly is.

[Reg]

Probably Tim Berners-Lee.

It's definitely not a fucking sports person or someone who sings a bit.
"achieved the most in their respective field" was my definition.

But John's^ is a good one too.

[Offshore Toon]

Pleb, idiots.
Great shout.

David Attenborough. /thread
Attenborough is a fraud and most likely a nonce.

As a serious suggestion I'll go with Shola Ameobi, and not for sporting reasons, Boydy, but for his attitude, smile and Cribs episode.

[Boydy]

"achieved the most in their respective field" was my definition.

But John's^ is a good one too.

Yeah but then if you're going for the single greatest person, you've got to judge their respective fields against each other and sport and music just don't cut it.

[Giggles]

Yeah but then if you're going for the single greatest person, you've got to judge their respective fields against each other and sport and music just don't cut it.

They would be to a person that only cared about music or sport.

Who are you thinking? A politician? :yawn:

[Boydy]

They would be to a person that only cared about music or sport.

Who are you thinking? A politician? :yawn:

No, I already said.

[Giggles]

I thought by the name he was a politician :D

Carry on.

[Lewis]

Tim Berners-Lee is a bit overrated. It's not like he invented all of the stuff he used, or applied it to everything we use. He is to his field what Henry Ford (without the Jew baiting) was to his. Somebody like Bill Gates would be a much better 'shout' for the computer nerd entry.

[randomlegend]

I made a thread years ago floating Paul McCartney on the basis of him being the biggest person in the biggest field, and I'm a bit stuck for an alternative.

'Aside from Eric Bailly' is implied, presumably.

[Henry]

Rolf Harris.

[Mike]

Ric Flair

[SvN]

It's definitely McCartney

[Shindig]

McCartney's been dead for years.

[Reg]

Yeah but then if you're going for the single greatest person, you've got to judge their respective fields against each other and sport and music just don't cut it.
Why don't they cut it?

[GS]

Because they're a bit trivial in the wider scheme of things.

[Spikey M]

The Beatles (and everything surrounding them) were/are fucking shit.

[Spikey M]

Why don't they cut it?

Because there are living people that have saved millions of lives. Saying nice words in a pleasant voice doesn't really stack up.

[Pepe]

If the Beatles didn't exist we would just listen to some other shit. The world will be exactly the same.

[Reg]

Because there are living people that have saved millions of lives. Saying nice words in a pleasant voice doesn't really stack up.
Right, has Berners-Lee done that? You could argue he has in a (very) roundabout way, but nowhere close to directly.

GS are you saying music and sport are trivial but the internet isn't? Or was your comment unrelated to the Berners-Lee mention?

[Spikey M]

Aside from vaguely recognising the name I have no idea who Berners-Lee is. Regardless of that, my local GP is more important than a fucking pop star.

[GS]

Music and sport. As Pepe says, if the Beatles weren't about, we'd listen to something else. If Usain Bolt didn't win the 100m race, someone else would have. It's not like anybody's day-to-day life would be any different whatsoever.

Take somebody like King Juan Carlos of Spain. He was able to effectively 'lead' Spain back to democracy from fascist dictatorship post-Franco. That's millions of people who aren't now living in a festering fascist shithole, or who had to live through the Second Spanish Civil War.

Not that I'm suggesting he's the "greatest living human", but I'm not buying that a musician is the best we can do.

[Offshore Toon]

How about a compromise? Bob Geldof.

[Reg]

Music and sport. As Pepe says, if the Beatles weren't about, we'd listen to something else. If Usain Bolt didn't win the 100m race, someone else would have. It's not like anybody's day-to-day life would be any different whatsoever.

Take somebody like King Juan Carlos of Spain. He was able to effectively 'lead' Spain back to democracy from fascist dictatorship post-Franco. That's millions of people who aren't now living in a festering fascist shithole, or who had to live through the Second Spanish Civil War.

Not that I'm suggesting he's the "greatest living human", but I'm not buying that a musician is the best we can do.
Nor am I by this thread's prevalent definition of 'greatest'. Only by mine upthread: "achieved the most in their respective field".

You (one) could argue the world would have been worse off without religion and concepts like The Ten Commandments, so maybe Jesus.

[Offshore Toon]

What's the name of the bloke who discovered fire?

[Reg]

Dave.

[Lewis]

As much as I lolled at Roger Federer being pushed (seriously mate nobody likes tennis), listening to some shit other than the Beatles could apply to most historical events and technological breakthroughs given time, and going down that road just leads to that nonce who founded Muslims.

[Reg]

Tennis may not be the most popular sport but again: "achieved the most in their respective field".

[Lewis]

Oh well then it's Harold Shipman.

[Offshore Toon]

Tennis, as a rich person's sport, must be full of nonces. Even as the best in the world you're only the best out of those with enough money that could be bothered, which isn't many.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Tennis, as a rich person's sport, must be full of nonces. Even as the best in the world you're only the best out of those with enough money that could be bothered, which isn't many.

I always think this with F1 - how many world champions are out there who never even got in a go-kart, let alone had the resources to fund an actual single seater career.

[Lewis]

Along with the tracks in the desert and the globe-trotting, it's one of the main reasons to lol at their sustainability drive.

[Spikey M]

Nor am I by this thread's prevalent definition of 'greatest'. Only by mine upthread: "achieved the most in their respective field".

You (one) could argue the world would have been worse off without religion and concepts like The Ten Commandments, so maybe Jesus.

Jesus died in quite a famous scene.

[Patterson]

We had this discussion recently at a dinner party and Tim Berners-Lee was mentioned with Bill Gates. Mark Zuckerberg completed the the three.

It almost made you wish Steve Jobs was still alive as he would be sitting at the top of the table.

[McAvennie]

Scientist? TV star? Radio show host? In a band with a number one record? Heartthrob to middle aged women?

I give you the polymath that is Brian Cox

[Offshore Toon]

Brian Cox's voice is so annoying. He's a dickhead.

[Pepe]

Mark Zuckerberg? Steve Jobs? Imagine the state of that dinner party. :sick:

EDIT: Ah, nevermind. You sad cunt. :harold:

[Giggles]

Brian Cox's voice is so annoying. He's a dickhead.

Flip it over to the best voice ever.
http://a.abcnews.com/images/Politics/GTY_carl_sagan_sr_140314_16x9_608.jpg

[Adamski]

Roger Federer :D

[ItalAussie]

I would have said John Bardeen or Claude Shannon before they died. Probably the two most significant pioneers of the computer age.

Bardeen was the brains behind the invention of the transistor (probably the most important invention in the world today), and explained superconductivity. He was duly awarded a Nobel Prize for both achievements.

Claude Shannon practically single-handedly developed the modern understanding of information, channel and coding theory, which underpins every form of electronic information transfer or telecommunications. Again, multiple significant discoveries that shaped the field.

They're both dead of relatively recently, but they go largely unheralded despite the size of the mark they left.

[Adamski]

Have they won Wimbledon though?

[Reg]

Have they won Wimbledon though?
"Achieved the most in their resp-" [Brain explodes.]

[Jimmy Floyd]

I've probably achieved the most in the field of nose picking, especially in the last 20 minutes.

[John]

There was an article a few weeks ago about a guy who'd completed every game on PS4, so he's definitely not a stupid shout as the greatest person alive.

[Adamski]

"Achieved the most in their resp-" [Brain explodes.]

I don't know why you changed it to that measurement. The question is greatest human not who is the greatest tennis player.

As mentioned above, you'd have an answer if you decided what the greatest field is and picked someone from there.

[Reg]

I didn't suggest that was the only criteria, I just gave that as mine because I think anything else is so widely open to interpretation. (Which is fine, but note there hasn't been that many serious answers because it's a difficult question otherwise.)