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Are Plato and Aristotle the most influential humans that have ever lived?

Alexander. he helped spread Aristotle's teachings. Connected the world in a way that had never been done before.

After that Newton. Then Einstein.

But if we look at the modern world, the most influential people are religious figures from the three main religions who have shaped the last 2000 years. Moses, Jesus and Mohammed.
The problem with Moses is that we don't know if he was a myth or not.

If he was real, he is the most important and influentional figure in human history, as judaism is the foundation for both christianity and islam and directly formed the world and humanity.
 
argue that it was Jesus (who was a real historical figure for those laughing) who shaped the heart of western civilization
If anyone is laughing, they are ignorant. His take on judaism and subsequent followers has shaped almost all of our political and moral foundations. 90% of experts who study historical figures will tell you it's obviously Jesus Christ. Greek and Rome shaped and spread Christianity, but Jesus is ultimately the basis of the movement.
 
Influential human? It's Jesus of Nazareth by a wide, wide margin. For example: what year is it currently?
But Jesus hasn't left us direct writings. We have some sermons, but not much, if any, of his own writings. So his influence is mostly the influence of and by the people around him.

It's a little different, IMHO, than the folks with actual books, letters, and whatnot that gives us a better look inside their head and allows later people to connect with them more directly.
 
The problem with Moses is that we don't know if he was a myth or not.

If he was real, he is the most important and influentional figure in human history, as judaism is the foundation for both christianity and islam and directly formed the world and humanity.
That would be Abraham. He is the father of Isaac and Ishmael through which the Jews and the Arabs derive ancestry.

I think you will find that every biblical character is real. Scholars doubted the existence of David and pilot and many others for years until we got stones and tablets that confirmed their existence.


I know you want "Moses was here" on a wall but you won't get that. There is to be pillars that marked the crossing of the Red Sea.

Supposedly built by Solomon.


But nothing is 100%.
 
The influence that Jesus Christ has had on the world is incalculable. Heck, for the longest time people used BC (Before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini, or in the year of our Lord) to label years. His existence was so important that His time on earth was used as a measuring stick for chronological events.

Besides starting the most prolific religion in world history, His teachings influence human behavior and thought to this day (both in believers and non-believers). Our general understanding of morality and equality would be very different without Christianity, as it was markedly different in its egalitarianism that reached everyone. While there are exceptions, generally people were divided into different classes and groups regarding their religions. Not everyone could be saved and some people were simply believed to be lesser than others and there would be nothing that could be done about that. Christianity brought the idea that everyone has equal worth and value to the forefront.
 
That would be Abraham. He is the father of Isaac and Ishmael through which the Jews and the Arabs derive ancestry.

I think you will find that every biblical character is real. Scholars doubted the existence of David and pilot and many others for years until we got stones and tablets that confirmed their existence.


I know you want "Moses was here" on a wall but you won't get that. There is to be pillars that marked the crossing of the Red Sea.

Supposedly built by Solomon.


But nothing is 100%.
Moses is the one who supposedly got the Torah and founded Judaism, Abraham is the guy who first learned of god, but Moses is the true builder of Judaism.

But both Moses and Abraham have a lot of mythological sides to them, they feel more like built characters through tradition rather than historical.
 
Moses is the one who supposedly got the Torah and founded Judaism, Abraham is the guy who first learned of god, but Moses is the true builder of Judaism.

But both Moses and Abraham have a lot of mythological sides to them, they feel more like built characters through tradition rather than historical.
I think people sometimes forget there was a lot of oral storytelling when it comes to the books of the Bible. It can be like a game of telephone where information can be lost or embellished overtime.

On a personal note, I don't think historical accuracy is the most important facet of stories about spiritual truth.
 
But Jesus hasn't left us direct writings. We have some sermons, but not much, if any, of his own writings. So his influence is mostly the influence of and by the people around him...
I think you're splitting hairs rather than making an interesting point.

"I wrote down Jesus' teachings" versus "Jesus wrote down Jesus' teachings" doesn't change the fact that "Jesus' teachings" have changed the course of human history to a degree that no other human will ever match. That's the equivalent of arguing Plato doesn't qualify because quite literally none of Plato's original writings have survived - all we have hand-transposed copies of copies of copies...
 
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