What intellect would you bring back to life if possible?

[Zygote]

Lets say you can revive a historically great mind (in their prime) to help solve the problems of modern cosmology or other intellectual feats. Who do you think would best contribute?

[Meromorphic]

I'd love to see how quickly Gauss'd get up to speed.

[bunny]

Georg Cantor would be my pick, or Richard Feynman.

[MidGe]

Darwin,

To give him the satisfaction to see that his theory was confirmed with methods that he could not even have imagined.

[chezlaw]

Jesus

[amirite]

Tesla. I mean, holy [censored], he's Tesla. Combine that man's insane brilliance with modern technology and we'd have death rays all over the goddamn place.

[purnell]

Leonardo da Vinci (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Vinci)

[tolbiny]

someone that was considered brilliant and correct in thier own time, but turned out to be horribly horribly wonrg- just for [censored] when they found out.

[Borodog]

[ QUOTE ]
someone that was considered brilliant and correct in thier own time, but turned out to be horribly horribly wonrg- just for [censored] when they found out.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was thinking Aristotle for exactly this reason. I've always wanted to go back in time and smack him upside the head and ask, "Did it never occur to you to CHECK?"

[amirite]

[ QUOTE ]
"Did it never occur to you to CHECK?"

[/ QUOTE ]

That's a lot of awesome to be summed up in one sentence.

[Scotch78]

[ QUOTE ]
I was thinking Aristotle for exactly this reason. I've always wanted to go back in time and smack him upside the head and ask, "Did it never occur to you to CHECK?"

[/ QUOTE ]

Amen, brother! It never ceases irritating me that he is continually mentioned in comparison with Plato. I admit to giving Aristotle a very cursory reading in school, but still, in six years of philosophy studies I only found one stimulating thought in his writings.

Scott

[Leaky Eye]

Wintermute.

[Copernicus]

the name says it all.

[Bork]

Leibniz, this guy is the best ever.

[Go Blue]

How can you not say Newton? The guy DID only invent calculus.

[Zeno]

[ QUOTE ]
How can you not say Newton? The guy DID only invent calculus.

[/ QUOTE ]

So did Liebniz.

Newton was an Ass! (Brillant, but an Ass). No sense in prying him from his little cubbyhole of a Heaven. Let him rot on his shabby little tranished brass throne.

-Zeno

[Zeno]

[ QUOTE ]
Leibniz, this guy is the best ever.

[/ QUOTE ]

The best guy in the best of all possible worlds no less. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

-Zeno

[Zeno]

Euclid for cosmology.

For 'other intellectual feats' - Confucius

For the revival of hope and humor - Diogenes of Sinope

-Zeno

[madnak]

I'm not a big fan of the greeks.

Has nobody said Einstein? I'll say Einstein.

[guesswest]

I'd have to agree with whoever said Da Vinci.

But lay off Aristotle! It's more or less impossible to overstate the contribution he made to philosophy, especially to ethics. And it's not even clear to what extent Plato was functioning as a biographer.

[chezlaw]

[ QUOTE ]
I'd have to agree with whoever said Da Vinci.

But lay off Aristotle! It's more or less impossible to overstate the contribution he made to philosophy, especially to ethics. And it's not even clear to what extent Plato was functioning as a biographer.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, the ignorance about aristotle is astounding.

chez

[Copernicus]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'd have to agree with whoever said Da Vinci.

But lay off Aristotle! It's more or less impossible to overstate the contribution he made to philosophy, especially to ethics. And it's not even clear to what extent Plato was functioning as a biographer.

[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, the ignorance about aristotle is astounding.

chez

[/ QUOTE ]


nahhh, I lost all respect for aristotle after he married jackie-0

[Max Weinberg]

Sam Kinnison.

If he's trapped in hell, I vote for Andy Kaufman.

[Copernicus]

[ QUOTE ]
Sam Kinnison.

If he's trapped in hell, I vote for Andy Kaufman.

[/ QUOTE ]

What if hes trapped in Andy Kaufman?

Helluva show tonight Max.

[TheHusky]

Why has noone mentioned Newton?
That man was a monster.

[Max Weinberg]

[ QUOTE ]
What if hes trapped in Andy Kaufman?

Helluva show tonight Max.

[/ QUOTE ]
If he's trapped in Andy Kaufman, a Back to the Future-eque space-time continuum paradox happens and we all cease to exist.

Thanks, and remember the 10:30 show is completely different from the 7:30 show.

Be sure to tip your waitress.

[KCT - dietcoke]

I'm surprised it took five posts to nominate Tesla. Most academics accomplish what they're capable of in their lifetime, and we "jump off of their shoulders" once they die. Just because they were brilliant does not mean that they would be able to be "brought to speed" in a short amount of time and give new insight on current scientific problems. That would be the same as assigning intelligence a "raw score", a finite amount of horsepower that will drive said person the same distance in whatever direction they are headed, at whatever time they are living in.
This not only is very unlikely, it is very hard to prove (anyone who has taken an SAT knows the true value of intelligence tests.)
This is not to try and discredit that Tesla wasn't as smart as the others and wouldn't have the same "horsepower". I'm saying that in my humble opinion, Tesla, in front of all other intellectuals, died far before his time. He may have been accomplished, but what he took with him was still monumentous.
Reading through several biographies of his, even if 1/4th of the things attributed to him were actually achieved, then bringing him back for a day would do more for physics and electrical engineering than bringing back einstein for a second lifetime.
Then again, im not sure as to the aim of the question. Does who would you like to bring back mean "who would you like personally?" or "who would do the greatest good/ most advancement?"
If it were based on personal choice, i would bring back John Lennon, because i like his music (another one who died before his time).
However, Tesla is still the clear choice for me.
There are accounts of him doing things at lectures that no modern scientist can explain. His problem may have been his genius, apparently he kept all his blueprints in his mind, never committing anything to paper, his eccentricity ovverriding what would have been a triumph for mankind.

[Zygote]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm not a big fan of the greeks.



[/ QUOTE ]

why? the greeks were awesome

[Zygote]

[ QUOTE ]

For 'other intellectual feats' - Confucius


[/ QUOTE ]

odd choice. care to expand further?

[ZeeJustin]

[ QUOTE ]
Leonardo da Vinci (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Da_Vinci)

[/ QUOTE ]

[billygrippo]

http://www.al-fun.de/BobRoss/images/bobross.gif

[Go Blue]

[ QUOTE ]
Why has noone mentioned Newton?
That man was a monster.

[/ QUOTE ]

I already mentioned him. Although, he did practice alchemy. /images/graemlins/blush.gif

[Borodog]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Why has noone mentioned Newton?
That man was a monster.

[/ QUOTE ]

I already mentioned him. Although, he did practice alchemy. /images/graemlins/blush.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Is it fair to say you practiced something if it never worked? If so I just practiced levitation. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[amirite]

Holy Christ I change my vote to Bob Ross, all you bastards better do the same.

I loved that man.

[goofball]

Richard Feynman. I'm pretty sure I have a nonsexual crush on him.

[jthegreat]

Can't believe I'm the first to say Euler. Euler was a once-in-a-millenium intellect.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euler

Not to say the others mentioned here aren't deserving, but Euler is certainly worth mentioning.

[ShakeZula06]

I personally have to go with Thomas Jefferson or Patrick Henry. Would go all long way in fixing the USA

[Borodog]

Thomas Jefferson would hang himself if he saw what happened to these United States.

[ShakeZula06]

he'll be coming soon enough

[r3vbr]

obviously Albert Einstein..
if he had lived 20 more years we would already have unified physics

[Max Weinberg]

[ QUOTE ]
I personally have to go with Thomas Jefferson or Patrick Henry. Would go all long way in fixing the USA

[/ QUOTE ]
I hope I'm not the only one picturing a Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure moment here.

Patrick Henry riding around on a Segway screaming in a mall and Thomas Jefferson preaching to the Cinnabon cashier...

[ShakeZula06]

Do you mean this in that there work was wasted or that they realized how much wrong they committed?

[billygrippo]

[ QUOTE ]
Thomas Jefferson would hang himself if he saw what happened to these United States.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah, he couldnt buy a slave anymore.

[ShakeZula06]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Thomas Jefferson would hang himself if he saw what happened to these United States.

[/ QUOTE ]

yeah, he couldnt buy a slave anymore.

[/ QUOTE ]

your a tool

[RBO]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'm not a big fan of the greeks.



[/ QUOTE ]

why? the greeks were awesome

[/ QUOTE ]

The Greeks were the best!

[Zeno]

[ QUOTE ]
odd choice. care to expand further?

[/ QUOTE ]

Honestly I thought about this for a long time.
So long in fact that I decided to remain silent.

LINK (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393316998/qid=1140422346/sr=2-3/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_3/103-7244378-7521455?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)

-Zeno