So you’re looking for a person who’s ideas (not necessarily due to their own merit) had the most positive effect on science and philosophy in the future?
Well, I’m not sure why you’re interested… Although I’ll add that does seen to exclude people currently alive like Nick Bostrom, who’s effect upon the future is currently unknown to us (I would assume that calculating his effects upon the probability of saving the whole human race and the future, and thus causing a near infinite amount of science, might make him beat any others I know).
I’m interested because one of the things I am meant to be studying is the history of philosophy and I consider it best practice when studying a topic to do one’s best to properly understand it.
(In case it isn’t obvious, I’m asking Lesswrong because although I disagree on some things I think the aggregate of forum opinion more accurate on this sort of question than my own)
So you’re looking for a person who’s ideas (not necessarily due to their own merit) had the most positive effect on science and philosophy in the future?
Well, I’m not sure why you’re interested… Although I’ll add that does seen to exclude people currently alive like Nick Bostrom, who’s effect upon the future is currently unknown to us (I would assume that calculating his effects upon the probability of saving the whole human race and the future, and thus causing a near infinite amount of science, might make him beat any others I know).
I’m interested because one of the things I am meant to be studying is the history of philosophy and I consider it best practice when studying a topic to do one’s best to properly understand it.
(In case it isn’t obvious, I’m asking Lesswrong because although I disagree on some things I think the aggregate of forum opinion more accurate on this sort of question than my own)