Which non biblical person would you have liked to speak with?

[Jingo Jaden]

Alright, so if you had the chance to speak for an hour with a character from history that does not directly relate to the bible, who would it be?

*Note, this thread pays no interest in language barriers, time, virtue/vice and the fact that a commoner speaking to someone high standing would not be the most common thing.*

My top 3 list.

Winston Churchill – Probably the single most important person against the rise of Nazi Germany. Although the war aside he was generally not too popular with the public or the ministers, he really managed to grasp the imminent threat which Nazi Germany and its allies posed. He is renowned for his quotes, his great reflection and general understanding. An important figure in history which combined guts, smarts and the rare ability to rebuild in order to ensure there was no lasting hatred after the second world war.

Charles The Great *Charlemagne* - In many ways one of the most underrated historical figures of all time. True he was no big fan of free speech, nor was he particularly tolerant. However, he is the only person to fully have mastered the concept of vassalage. He helped engineer the Frankish justice system into something quite similar to what we have in this present day. He also managed to revolutionize literature and he also prioritized education. He lead more than 60 military campaigns in his life, not losing a single one. He even participated on the field and is said to have been wearing a huge, blue cloak, making him the most visible target in the field. When a military solution seemed too expensive, he managed to bribe large parts of Scandinavia into not aggressing on his territory. He is by far one of the most remarkable characters in history.

Asoka the Great – I am guessing the emperor of India who lived long before Christ would be a bit of an unknown historical figure too most. However, after leading a huge military conquest, and eventually winning it, he found no victory what so ever in the devastation that was caused. He converted to Buddhism and managed to enforce a system of free religion, which was not the most common during that age. The terrible Ashok became someone who enforced even a tolerance to nearly all opinions that was forged during that time.

[ich1990]

G.K. Chesterton, without a doubt. By all accounts he was one of the most humorous, likable, deep thinking, and amiable people to ever live.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

C.S. Lewis
Herge
Douglas Adams

[sharikqah]

St. Thomas Aquinas - to teach me how to use faith to separate reason from philosophy, false religion from true faith.

Jalaladin Muhammad Rumi - to understand how he could mix both the spiritual & the arts.

Emile Durkheim - to understand why he believed religion as the end-all for all social problems, & why he didn't leave us with any tangible solution to his theories.

Miyazaki Hayao - who wouldn't want to talk to him?

[KagayakiWashi]

In no particular order:

W. S. Gilbert - My absolute favorite author. Not the best story writer, but amazing poetry and plays

Richard Wagner - Despite his racist tendencies, his music is pretty much incredible

Igor Stravinsky - I've often thought it would be interesting to hear his thoughts on music of today and how it's changed throughout time, as well as how the modern music listener listens to music.

Akira Kurosawa - I love his movies. Absolutely love them.

Hideo Kojima - He created the greatest game series ever.

Toshiro Mifune - My personal favorite actor.

Frank Zappa - Seems like he would be funny to talk to as well as have interesting conversations about music, politics, and religion.

Ludwig van Beethoven - I love his music too.

Gunpei Yokoi - A janitor who went on to create the Game Boy and Metroid game series. Died while trying to help people.

Nikola Tesla - Seems like an interesting enough individual.

[Ante Bellum]

William Stephenson would be interesting to talk to. He was an agent back in WWII, code-named INTREPID, and was actually the inspiration for James Bond. He had some interesting ideas in his time, and I even heard that he said to do away with Hitler before the war began. I am not too certain of this, but knowing what he is like it seems like he would have.

[Amzi Live]

G.K. Chesterton, without a doubt. By all accounts he was one of the most humorous, likable, deep thinking, and amiable people to ever live.

wow,nice one
^^ interesting character indeed.

[LadyRushia]

Shakespeare
C.S. Lewis
Tolkien
Naoki Urasawa

[Radical Dreamer]

Definitely C.S. Lewis. I think we'd be like, bffs if we lived in the same time period. Also, Victor Hugo. And Dr. Seuss.

[Warrior 4 Jesus]

Oh, they don't have to be dead?

Hayao Miyazaki as well, absolutely!

[Warrior4Christ]

Claude Shannon - he was a super smart bloke. He invented information theory.

Donald Knuth - another smart bloke. He invented computer science (kind of). He has an incredible attention to detail, seems quite deliberate in his communication, and has a decent sense of humour. He appreciates the beauty of typography, and has done lectures on theology. And he's a Lutheran.

Clive Staples would definitely also be an interesting guy to chat with.

[MangArtist]

J.R.R. Tolkien! 8D

[USSRGirl]

Ghengis Kahn.

[Cognitive Gear]

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and Clive Staples Lewis (Really, I just want to sit in on the Inklings sessions)

As for people who aren't yet dead:

Aaron Weiss
Shane Claiborne
Alan Moore (I would be frightened, but I imagine that I'd learn quite a lot)
Neil Gaiman

[Peanut]

Hmmmm...well...

-Abraham Lincoln
-Benjamin Franklin
-Jurgen Moltmann
-Augustine of Hippo


That's all I can think of now...

[Sammy Boy]

I would have liked to speak with Socrates. One of my ancestors from ancient China would also be interesting, I think.

[-Frail-Dreams-]

Tolkein, obviously.
C.S. Lewis, another obvious one.
Abraham Lincoln.
Jon Foreman...
Winston Churchhill.

[Etoh*the*Greato]

Neil Gaiman

yes. Yes. YES!

And yeah, Lewis as everyone else said but there are some more contemporary types I'd love to pick the brains of: Ravi Zacharias and Michael Novak would be fun (not the least of which, Novak is fond of a little bit of brandy while he talks theology. Hehe)

[chibiphonebooth]

hayao miyazaki
aaron weiss (again)
shane claiborne
rob bell
brandt russo

:]

[Icarus]

Am I seriously th...

Before I finished that thought, I realized that yes, I probably am the only one that would pick Legendre, Umar al-Khayami, and Euclid. And Fermat.

... Yeah...

[Fantasy Dreamer]

Ghengis Kahn.

That reminds me of something funny, so I lol'd! XD

Um, C.S. Lewis, Tolkien, and Stonewall Jackson to name a few.

[coffeehubby]

Anna Frank
C. S Lewis
Albert Einstein ( but not about science)
Hayao Miyazaki

[Makachop^^128]

William Wilberforce
Hayao Miyazaki
Miyamoto Musashi

[crusader88]

Father Leonard Feeney, the great 20th Century American priest.
Francisco Franco, who delivered Spain from the hands of the commies.
Salvador Dali, surrealist painter who returned to the Faith later in his life.

[shooraijin]

Careful of political figures, please. Franco is definitely a controversial one in Spain.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Emile Durkheim - to understand why he believed religion as the end-all for all social problems, & why he didn't leave us with any tangible solution to his theories.

Because sociologists don't look for solutions, they just complain about problems. XD

But really, social solutions are immensely difficult to obtain because so many variables are involved. Tie that with the fact that each social context is relative and constantly changing, that adds to the difficulty. I think if the problem is constantly changing, then the solution cannot be a static one.

As for Durkheim, I believe he kinda originated the idea of the term "social construct". Social Constructionism is one of my favorite topics and I think talking to Durkheim about it would be awesome. =)

George Herbert Mead - A pioneer in the respective fields which I spend my time in (Psychology, Philosophy, & Sociology), having a chat with this man would be more than enjoyed.

W.E.B. duBois - A pioneer in sociology in that he was Black in a predominantly all-white field of study in his time. I'd say that he's a major factor to the growth of the study of different ethnic populations in sociology.

Thomas Merton - I love his views on Christian mysticism and how he steers away from the Modern thinking of Spirituality.

Marcus Borg - For the same reasons as Thomas Merton. I appreciate his interpretations and re-visioning of the Bible.

C.S. Lewis - He seems like an amiable person to sit down and talk with. In fact, if I got C.S. Lewis, Marcus Borg, and Thomas Merton all in a room together it would probably be the most amazing thing ever. XD

Carl Jung - Pioneer in Jungian Cognitive Functions. Talking to him would be a must for me. XD

Albert Ellis - Major influence in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy. Would love to talk to him about it some more.