Who is the smartest man to ever live?

With 55620 views and 912 posts this question is one hot topic on MSN Discussion Boards. One of the latest contributions nominated Jesus Christ due to his combination of being Divine and having an earthy tabernacle of human flesh. And that is juxtapositioned with a vote for Hugh Hefner!

Well how about Richard Phillips Feynman (May 11, 1918 – February 15, 1988)  an American physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics. That’s pretty impressive.

Leonardo da Vinci is an obvious nomination when the Western Tradition is the basis of someone’s cultural experience. And from a religious perspective it is no surprise to see the name Mohammad (P.B.U.H) mentioned. And probably Mother Teresa is going to get a look in because someone did point out that the discussion board should recognize that there maybe a “Smartest Person” of the gentler sex, and then they nominated Sister Hillary Clinton who may not be so gentle and has been said to have been endowed with more testosterone than many a male politician. Einstein gets a nod as one would expect, but the one I like is the apparent serious suggestion that “It’s actually a toss up between Bob Dylan and Mark Twain.” Now while I like the idea of either Twain or Dylan getting the accolade, it is pretty Americocentric. But then I’m also in favor of Americocentricity because after all the USA is (so far) the greatest show on earth. So while the question who is the smartest man ever to live may be a popular discussion on MSN it really is not going to get a definitive answer because no one has yet nominated me!