softwareNerd Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 Here's a Thanksgiving game: if you had to give silent thanks to ONE person, who would it be. The rules are: Name someone relatively well-known, not personal (i.e. not the boss who helped you get where you were) Go beyond Objectivists, Aristotle and the U.S. Founding fathers Don't name anyone already named The person named does not have to be your top choice, just a good choice in your opinion Any takers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4reason Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 (edited) Maria Montessori, who I thank for the inspiration she gave me to do what I do now and the motivation to become who I intend to be: a great innovator in education. Edited November 23, 2007 by softwareNerd removed quote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moebius Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 (edited) Michael Jordan. For showing the world the meaning of dominance, and then for translating that success into a transcendental global pop cultural phenomenon, single handedly generating billions of dollars worth of business, becoming the most recognizable man in the world (even just based on the silhouette of his head), and inspiring an entire generation of ballers. Edited November 23, 2007 by softwareNerd removed quote Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaszloWalrus Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 James Watt, inventor (well, techincally modifier) of the steam engine, the impetus of the Industrial Revolution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted November 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 (edited) John Locke, philosopher, for inspiring confidence in the human mind, for breaking with divine revelation and fighting against "innate" knowledge, and -- consequently -- for laying down the modern philosophical foundation for rational government. (And, if that's kinda cheating, because it's too close to the founders, I'd thank Galileo.) Edited November 23, 2007 by softwareNerd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'kian Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 Thomas Alva Edison. It should be obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K-Mac Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 Henry Ford for giving me the affordable ability to roam as far as I care to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capitalism Forever Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 Ronald Reagan, for inspiring me to form my first mental image of man's strength: I was born in Hungary and still live there. I grew up during the final decade of Communism. My first memory involving the United States is hearing the radio news reader's anxious voice reporting on how "Washington continues with its star warfare plans." I had no idea at that time what "Washington" was, let alone a "star warfare plan," but I thought whatever it was, it must be something great and powerful--something done by men who can. I felt I could identify with these strong and able men somewhere far away much more than with the men around me who were "concerned" about "these dangerous plans"--the men who, as I saw it, couldn't because they wouldn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laure Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D'kian Posted November 24, 2007 Report Share Posted November 24, 2007 George Westinghouse, he did for the electrical era what Edison refused to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thales Posted November 24, 2007 Report Share Posted November 24, 2007 (edited) I supposed I can't thank Thales? okay... Sir Isaac Newton, for his essentialized application of the scientific method, and for establishing the principles of physics that made possible most of the inventions of the industrial revolution, and for his creation of a whole new field of mathematics (calculus) in order to make possible his physics. And if Newton is one, Galileo is one A. Edited November 24, 2007 by Thales Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkWaters Posted November 24, 2007 Report Share Posted November 24, 2007 (edited) George Dantzig, who is the father of Mathematical Programming. I am holding back the urge to thank many more productive geniuses! Edited November 24, 2007 by DarkWaters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blinky Posted November 24, 2007 Report Share Posted November 24, 2007 Johannes Gutenberg. I just love reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prometheus98876 Posted November 24, 2007 Report Share Posted November 24, 2007 (edited) Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. Seconded. My career is based on his pioneering work, and it has made the richness of the internet that the world pretty much relies on possible. Edited November 24, 2007 by Prometheus98876 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert J. Kolker Posted November 24, 2007 Report Share Posted November 24, 2007 Charles Darwin, without whose work modern biology would not be possible. Bob Kolker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tenure Posted November 24, 2007 Report Share Posted November 24, 2007 (edited) Stanislavski, for turning a mirror on not just how, but why humans act in certain ways, thus revolutionizing the world of Theatre. If anything, he was the Nathaniel Branden/Ayn Rand of Theatre, in that he, in a sense, identified psycho-epistemology in humans, and used that to create not only convincing acting, but meaningful acting. He showed that people have objectives/motives/agendas behind everything they do, no matter whether or not they are constantly aware of it. He further showed that those objectives neccesitated the kind of actions people were most likely to take (for example, you wouldn't blow at a tree to knock it down, nor would you chop a deck of cards with an axe). Even furthermore, he showed that emotions weren't 'states' that people reached, but instead, were reactions which flowed from their objective-seeking (i.e. one gets frustrated and upset, because their objective of catching that wabbit is interrupted by their wabbit-shooter running out of ammo). Edited November 24, 2007 by Tenure Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fletch Posted November 24, 2007 Report Share Posted November 24, 2007 Ronald McDonald. I cant start my day without that coffee in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarkWaters Posted November 24, 2007 Report Share Posted November 24, 2007 (edited) Seconded. Looks like you have just violated SoftwareNerd's rule number three!!!! Ronald McDonald. I cant start my day without that coffee in the morning. Then I recommend thanking Ray Kroc instead, as his dedication is what turned the company into what it is today. Edited November 24, 2007 by DarkWaters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prometheus98876 Posted November 24, 2007 Report Share Posted November 24, 2007 Looks like you have just violated SoftwareNerd's rule number three!!!! Then I recommend thanking Ray Kroc instead, as his dedication is what turned the company into what it is today. Opps! So I did. I really shouldnt try do these things when I am about to go to bed .l Dennis Ritchie, for his work on the C programming langauge, a major stepping stone in the history of programming, and inspiration for C++. Better now? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMeganSnow Posted November 25, 2007 Report Share Posted November 25, 2007 I'm going to thank Kelly, for letting me come live with her and eat her food while I look for work and loaf like a bum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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