Carlyl

[Machjo]

The plain truth, very plain, we think is, that ... one
man that has a higher Wisdom, a hitherto unknown
spiritual Truth in him, is stronger, not than ten men that
have it not, or than ten thousand, but than all men that
have it not; and stands among them with a quite ethereal,
angelic power, as with a sword out of Heaven's own armory,
sky-tempered, which no buckler, and no tower of
brass, will finally withstand.

(Thomas Carlyle in Sign of the Times)

Thomas Carlyle had regected his religion in adulthood, but had still maintained faith in man's devine character.

What men in history would ascribe as having met the qualities above? I'm sure various prophets from various religions such as Jesus, Moses, Buddha, Muhammad, Krishna etc. will come to people's minds. And without a doubt they would fall in the category described above. In fact, they might be the only ones who have reached so high.

On the other hand, there may still have been people who, if not having reached quite that high, have still come close.

Some people that come to my mind, besides the founders of great religions, would include Tolstoy, Gandhi, L.L. Zamenhof, Lidya Zamenhof, and others who have been able to contribute so greatly to the advancement of mankind, even past the length of their earthly lives. Shakespeare, Gibbon, and many others.

Any others you could mention? Let's grow this list and see who we come up with.

 

[Vereya]

Carlos Castaneda, Timothy Leary, Albert Hofmann

 

[Redbeard]

These authors had faults but wisdom too…

Gene Rodenberry, Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, and in some works, James Blish (e.g. Black Easter, The Day After Judgment, etc). I've watched or read their works, and did not always agree with everything. However, they did have wisdom in some areas and one thing I agreed with, diversity must be accepted but by faith and that comes by learning. Below are some examples:

"I'm taking long, hard looks at the world and what's happening in it, analyzing and thinking. I'm trying to become acquainted with the universe -- with the part of it I occupy -- and trying to settle, for myself, what my relationship with it is.
You can't take this speck of dust in this midst of all this incredible panorama of birth and complexity and say...this is the only place that [life] happens. It's like turning your back on the whole idea of growth...It speaks to some basic human needs, that there is a tomorrow - it's not all going to be over in a big flash and a bomb, that the human race is improving, that we have things to be proud of as humans.
No, ancient astronauts did not build the pyramids - human beings built them because they're clever and they work hard. And 'Star Trek' is about those things.
I believe in humanity. We are an incredible species. We're still just a child creature, we're still being nasty to each other. And all children go through those phases. We're growing up, we're moving into adolescence now. When we grow up - man, we're going to be something!"
--Gene Roddenberry

It is change, continuing change, inevitable change, that is the dominant factor in society today. No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be. Suppose that we are wise enough to learn and know - and yet not wise enough to control our learning and knowledge, so that we use it to destroy ourselves? Even if that is so, knowledge remains better than ignorance. The saddest truth of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom.
--Isaac Asimov

In every country, we should be teaching our children the scientific method and the reasons for a Bill of Rights. With it comes a certain decency, humility and community spirit. In the demon-haunted world that we inhabit by virtue of being human, this may be all that stands between us and the enveloping darkness.
Skeptical scrutiny is the means, in both science and religion, by which deep insights can be winnowed from deep nonsense.
--Carl Sagan :idea:

"It requires more courage and intelligence to be a devil than the folk who take experience at hearsay think. And none, save only he who has destroyed the devil in himself, and that by dint of hard work (for there is no other way) knows what a devil is, and what a devil he himself might be, as also what an army for the devils' use are they who think the devils are delusion."
--James Blish:read2: