I figure this can go in philosophy, so long as we don’t let this get too haggard.
So with that in mind post the one person still alive today that you would most want to have a conversation with, and of course explain why.
Seems pretty straightforward… but we’ll see.
Maury Povich
This man has been on the air FOREVER. He’s seen it all… literally. Someone so entrenched in the fabric of the societal underworld must have some interesting theories about the state of the world. The son of the Washington Post journalist Shirey Povich, Maury has gone on to be a part of several different shows including his long running spot as the host of his show. He’s married to the broadcast journalist Connie Chung and in 2006 will be co-hosting a weekend news show with Connie.
Maury may do a stupid show… but watch him on air, I feel like he’s generally interested in learning what makes these people tick… he enjoys being the connesuer of this type of strange, random information. He’s alot smarter than he lets on… listen to some of the questions he asks.
Through his longstanding place in the media, and his inlet into the ‘proper’ world of news, politics and economic through his wife and mother Maury has his finger on the pulse of the state of america, while at the same time having such a seemingly endless databank of information about the other side of society that one seldom sees unless they live as a part of it… or tune every day at 3pm.
Maury’s life is the existential dilemma. Maury understands the futility of anything beyond money… and so by raking in paycheck after paycheck, he somehow moves beyond it with that calm, yet knowing grin.
There is a spoken field recording of what sounds to be a conspiracy theorist/street preacher on the second track of the Godspeed you Black Emperor album “Slow Riot For New Zero Kanada” he also appears on the third track of the album “f#a#(infinity).” This is the one person I would want to talk to living today.
If I can’t talk to that nutty guy I suppose a more serious conversation would be nice. The man who is quoted saying “Hegemony is as old as mankind,” yes I’m talking about geostrategist Zbigniew Brzezinski. He wrote the book The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives. His ideas are more or less a rehash of 19th century Imperialism with the twist of global capitalism. His primary concern is insuring American power remains pre-eminent and American business monopolizes on the thrid world…
“In the course of the next several decades, a functioning structure of global cooperation, based on geopolitical realities, could thus emerge and gradually assume the mantle of the world’s current “regent,” which has for the time being assumed the burden of responsibility for world stability and peace. Geostrategic success in that cause would represent a fitting legacy of America’s role as the first, only, and last truly global superpower.”
Yup what a douche bag! Our conversation would result in me punching him in the face.
Well yes, there are pleanty of dogs that you can talk at, but not any with whom you can have a discussion. So it would be a unique opportunity, if it were possible.
Richard Dawkins - If I was in a good mood and wanted a discussion with someone I essentially agree with but find to be a fascinating author/talker.
Ariel Sharon - if I wanted something more challenging as I’d like to understand more about that area and the mentality of the Israelis to try and comprehend their point of view.
The Pope - if I was in a really bad mood and just wanted someone to argue heavily with.
First of all his name is Ed, and who wouldn’t love that?
Additionally, he is a Physicist that has worked in both Quantum and String Theory. Stuff I would like to know more about. His work has lead him to unique theories in Differential Geometry (my favorite subject in Mathematics). Finally he actually won the Fields Medal in Mathematics despite the fact that he is a lowly physicist.
As I recall Witten ended up with Einstein’s office at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton.
See, while I’m sure I could appreciate this guy… I’m not a math person at all. I’m not overly bad at it… I just don’t like it for whatever reason, and abandoned it a while ago. So to listen to someone like him talk to me about really advanced concepts would be cool, and I’m sure he would just… blow my mind with certain rhetoric, but I don’t think I could really appreciate it as much as someone like you who is (from what I’ve seen) quite a math buff.
Same thing when I read a brief history of time. I appreciated the book…but really didn’t ‘get it’ on most levels. Those 4D graphs -were- fascinating though.
You are right about my interest in Mathematics. It was the great passion in my youth, and, if I say so myself, I got to be quite good at it. That is probably because I did so horseshit at school, when I first discovered real Mathematics I finally realized I was not retarded.