# Who were the wisest men in history? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 20, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-wisest-men-in-history/377277 "2006-10-20T20:45:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bible\_man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@Bible\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bible_man)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2006, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-wisest-men-in-history/377277/41 "2006-10-24T16:02:26Z")
[QUOTE=Quasimodal] Fairly accurate. I think the natural tendency of people without guidance is to follow an easy path. The easy path involves going for easy pleasures by any means. I think Christ understood that that is part the nature of man, however he also understood that part of the nature of man is to overcome these limitations. He understood that his philosophies such as turning the other cheek would eventually work for his people. He understood the nature of people to feel empathy towards others, and the good it can work. And while I don’t have a direct quotation, I don’t think Christ was all doom and gloom regarding humanity…because if we were beyond redemption he wouldn’t have been on his mission to save us. [/QUOTE] The solution that Jesus offered is a completely new life ie, John3:3 “Jesus answered him, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that unless a person is born again he cannot ever see the kingdom of God.” The Bible declares repeatedly that “old man” must die, it can’t be regenerated. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-wisest-men-in-history/377277/42 "2006-10-25T10:22:31Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] The Dalai Lama. (Who was, of course, raised from birth to be wise and spiritual. Or who was recognized at birth to already be wise and spiritual. Does it matter which?) [/QUOTE] Bull! Look at some of the bigoted and just plain ignorant statements he has made about GLBT people, and try to claim he is “wise and spiritual”. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-wisest-men-in-history/377277/43 "2006-10-25T10:56:35Z")
Alfonso X el Sabio de Castilla y León is a decent candidate, I think, specially in view of news like [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=393354). Apart of “the usual kingly work”, he opened the Translator’s School in Toledo, which attracted a lot more than translators. He was visiting it and the astrologers (remember, they weren’t astro_nomers_ yet) explained the system they used in their calculations, with everything turning around the earth following circular orbits that were modified by smaller circles (as many as five sub-circles). His response: “if God had asked for my opinion, this would be a whole lot simpler.” The “Wise” surname comes mostly from his work re. education, but other people (ex Juana la Loca, who decreed that women have education access equal to men’s) who had a lot to say about education weren’t as wise as him in… more day-to-day matters. (I’m not this Hispano-centric when I’m in other places, just taking it upon me to broaden horizons :D) ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-wisest-men-in-history/377277/44 "2006-10-25T12:56:41Z")
I nominate Jesus. Even if you don’t accept his divinity, his philosophy of loving your enemies and serving others would make the world a better place if we only practiced what he preached. ---
**Author:** ![Khangol](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecae2f/32.png) [@Khangol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khangol)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2006, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-wisest-men-in-history/377277/45 "2006-10-25T15:45:50Z")
[QUOTE=Malienation] Hmmm…maybe. Smart, yes. Cynical, yes. Funny, yes. Excellent writer, yes. _Wise?_ That might be a reach… BTW, along the same lines, you could make a similar case for H.L. Mencken. 🆒 [/QUOTE] Specifically regarding a knowledge of human nature, I have to say Twain fits almost every definition of “wise”: 1. Having wisdom or discernment for what is true, right, or lasting; 2.a. Exhibiting common sense; b. Shrewd; crafty. 3. Having great learning; erudite. 4. Provided with information; informed. (I apply “wise” to Twain only as regarding his knowledge of human nature; in matters of business, money, science and technology, I don’t think he was very wise at all.) And I completely agree that Mencken fits those definitions as well. ---
**Author:** ![Malienation](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Malienation](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malienation)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-wisest-men-in-history/377277/46 "2006-11-08T06:07:30Z")
[QUOTE=commasense] Just in case any Dopers need evidence in support of **Malienation** ’s excellent nomination of John Stuart Mill, here is a famous passage from _On Liberty_: \ The full text of _On Liberty_ is [here.](http://www.bartleby.com/130/2.html) [/QUOTE] Been meaning to give you a heads up to this [post](http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=7591) at a conservative website of some repute (not a tinfoil hat website). Brace yourself: they give _On Liberty_ an honorable mention for _most harmful books of the 19th and 20th century._ :eek: Assholes! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-wisest-men-in-history/377277/47 "2006-11-08T14:08:06Z")
I don’t wish to denigrate anyone else’s nominations, but I think there’s room in this thread to consider David Hume and Baruch Spinoza. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-wisest-men-in-history/377277/48 "2006-11-08T15:49:03Z")
[QUOTE=Malienation] Been meaning to give you a heads up to this [post](http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=7591) at a conservative website of some repute (not a tinfoil hat website). Brace yourself: they give _On Liberty_ an honorable mention for _most harmful books of the 19th and 20th century._ :eek: Assholes! :mad: [/QUOTE] I think the whole notion of _harmful books_ or _harmful ideas_ is simply absurd and delusional. As if, had Karl Marx never lived, no one else would have ever conceived of the principles of communism. The attitude of the censor, that some people simply aren’t capable of coping with some ideas and need to be protected from them, is condescending, paternalistic, and anti-democratic. That way leads to fascism. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-wisest-men-in-history/377277/49 "2006-11-08T21:24:24Z")
George Washington, for using power for good ends, and for refusing power that would have gone to most people’s heads. “Modest, wise and good,” as Abigail Adams described him. Ben Franklin, for being an all-around supergenius and astute observer of human nature. H.L. Mencken and Mark Twain, ditto. Gandhi, Jesus and the Buddha are right up there, too. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2006, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-wisest-men-in-history/377277/50 "2006-11-08T21:49:10Z")
Human nature? I have two more nominees: **Machiavelli** **Abraham Lincoln** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-were-the-wisest-men-in-history/377277.md?page=2)