Name 5 of the most influential people to you.

[Doctor Amadeus]

I was told a long time ago, that if you look on someone's book shelf, and could pick at least five of the most common authors, that could tell you everything you needed to know about a person.

I am not really much of a purist in that sense, but I do believe there are some truly very influential people in through time, that although I wouldn't consider a HERO, I would say have had the greatest impact on me.

My MOM and

1. Noam Chomsky
2. Bruce Lee
3. Terence McKenna
4. Howard Stern
5. Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

[Orby]

I guess I look up to my sister. She is younger than me but she has achieved more at her age than I did and I am super jealous, and constantly remind her of such. She is super awesome :P

Have no famous idols though, I cannot relate to celebrities.

[Aoyi]

Well, if we were going to stick to the bookshelf thing, then in no particular order, I'll list the 5 most common I see on my shelf:

1. Neil deGrasse Tyson
2. Cixin Liu
3. Bill Nye
4. Arthur Conan Doyle
5. Douglas Adams

Honorable mention as its different authors, but one series (kind of): The Great Courses

This is also just a reflection of my current bookshelf. Not necessarily the authors I have read the most over the years. I'm just being lazy and looking to my left.

[Deleted]

What do you mean by most influential people to me? The people that have had most influence in my life would probably be my parents, brother, sister and my doctors. I enjoy reading watching content by scientists and educators but they don't have influence over my life apart from passing entertainment value.

[TheFirstOnes]

1. Goku.

2. Sargeras.

3. Vegeta.

4. Yamcha (He taught me not to be weak. Since, if you're weak, then you're Yamcha).

And 5. Madoka Magica (Or, should I say, Madoka Kaname). She taught me that trailers for her show are nothing more than Illusions. D:

[Doctor Amadeus]

I guess I look up to my sister. She is younger than me but she has achieved more at her age than I did and I am super jealous, and constantly remind her of such. She is super awesome :P

Have no famous idols though, I cannot relate to celebrities.

They don't have to be celebrities, they can be anyone, and you don't have to look up to them, just anyone had an influence on you, maybe helped you view the world differently or challenged, the way you thought and helped you grow.

[Deleted]

1.) My mother
2.) My father
3.) Naruto
4.) Rocky
5.) My University Business Math Professor

[Deleted]

Günther Anders
Terry Pratchett
Norbert Elias
Friedrich Nietzsche
Hayao Miyazaki

[schwarzkopf]

THE Number ONE:
As for those people I do know - I can only think of a total of one:
Father John Cranley (Senior Catholic School Teacher)
http://www.therecord.com.au/mileston...n-cranley-omi/

Starting me down the road to science and rational thinking and NEVER doubted me when my parents and my other teachers all did.

As for people I don't know:
1. Richard Dawkins (Biologist++)
2. Lawrence Krauss (Physicist)
3. Sam Harris (Philosopher)
4. Stephen Donaldson (Author)
5. Stephen Pinker (Linguist)

[Harry Botter]

Well if were going by just influence my list would be:

1. My Grandma
2. My wife
3. Jerry Medina (my first professor in college)
4 and 5 are for the same thing. My mom and dad, my parents are terrible and abusive people and they showed me at an early age the extent that humans can be cruel to one another and showed me the type of person I didn't want to be.

[Orby]

They don't have to be celebrities, they can be anyone, and you don't have to look up to them, just anyone had an influence on you, maybe helped you view the world differently or challenged, the way you thought and helped you grow.

No not really. No one comes to mind. Sorry. I remember when I was at secondary school (or high school if your anywhere else ) and I swear it was the first year, and one of our English classes was to write about someone who inspires you, and I honestly struggled because I could never think of anyone, and that mind set has been with me to this day. So for the sake of having something to write about and not getting in trouble I just wrote my dad.

I have never had any person in my life that's been a figure to look up to or someone that made me go "wow that person did something awesome, that he inspired my to do this, or do that or view this as that"

Just me I guess. As I said closest person to that role is my sister. That's it.

You want me to say Gandhi? Martin Luthor King? Or Nelson Mandela? All great men but they are not people that I found inspirational or influential on my life. Maybe I just have a different approach to what 'influential' means. Or maybe I just don't know what it means lol. Maybe I am just dumb :P

[Doctor Amadeus]

No not really. No one comes to mind. Sorry. I remember when I was at secondary school (or high school if your anywhere else ) and I swear it was the first year, and one of our English classes was to write about someone who inspires you, and I honestly struggled because I could never think of anyone, and that mind set has been with me to this day. So for the sake of having something to write about and not getting in trouble I just wrote my dad.

I have never had any person in my life that's been a figure to look up to or someone that made me do "wow that person did something awesome that he inspired my to do this or do that or view this as that"

Just me I guess. As I said closest person to that role is my sister. That's it.

You want me to say Gandhi? Martin Luthor King? Or Nelson Mandela? All great men but they are not people that I found inspirational or influential on my life. Maybe I just have a different approach to what 'influential' means. O maybe I just don't know what it means lol. Maybe I am just dumb :P

No, Noo Noo I am not like that say anyone you want, or don't say any, just trying to clarify, maybe you just aren't influenced, by anyone else, that's cool.

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Günther Anders
Terry Pratchett
Norbert Elias
Friedrich Nietzsche
Hayao Miyazaki

I like Nietzsche also, not in top 5 but probably top 20.

[Independent voter]

Bill Gates
Mark Zuckerberg
Elon Musk
Warren Buffet
Larry Page
Sergey Brin

Oh yeah, how could I forget Jeff Bezos?

[Huntermyth]

in a world where an orange clown can be the president of the united states, i believe i can do and be anything i want.

if we are to be absolutely serious, neil degrasse tyson and his bro richard dawkins are the two most influential people i know to this day. elon musk is a close 3rd. gandhi is a close 4th. 5th will be me in your childrens' lists if everything goes according to my plans ( damn i was going well with being serious and shit)

[Doctor Amadeus]

Bill Gates
Mark Zuckerberg
Elon Musk
Warren Buffet
Larry Page
Sergey Brin

Oh yeah, how could I forget Jeff Bezos?

I like what you did their, went for the most generic popular names you could get huh HAHA or just the Richest!

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THE Number ONE:
As for those people I do know - I can only think of a total of one:
Father John Cranley (Senior Catholic School Teacher)
http://www.therecord.com.au/mileston...n-cranley-omi/

Starting me down the road to science and rational thinking and NEVER doubted me when my parents and my other teachers all did.

As for people I don't know:
1. Richard Dawkins (Biologist++)
2. Lawrence Krauss (Physicist)
3. Sam Harris (Philosopher)
4. Stephen Donaldson (Author)
5. Stephen Pinker (Linguist)

Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Stephen Pinker, haha oh hell NO!

[Player Twelve]

My father
My mother
A teacher from school
Hanif Bali
Ivar Arpi

[Deleted]

I was told a long time ago, that if you look on someone's book shelf, and could pick at least five of the most common authors, that could tell you everything you needed to know about a person.

I prefer the saying you are the product of the 5 people you spend the most time with.

most influential persons in my life aside from parents are probably:
-a high school official i never met
-a government bureaucrat i never met
-US president that didnt prevent/handled 2008 crisis badly that led to austerity measures where i live

those people created and destroyed a lot of opportunities for me during my teens/adolescence, which shaped a lot of my current life.

[schwarzkopf]

Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, and Stephen Pinker, haha oh hell NO!

Yes, I know - rational discourse is an aspect of those I admire that is not to everyone's taste.

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I prefer the saying you are the product of the 5 people you spend the most time with.

Indeed, and the most influential people are those who made the most change with the least contact. That's the idea of the question.

[Doctor Amadeus]

Yes, I know - rational discourse is an aspect of those I admire that is not to everyone's taste.

Nothing really rational about Richard Dawkins, Same Harris, or Stephen Pinker, they mostly just pitch a lot of really bad ideas on people that don't know any better.

[schwarzkopf]

Nothing really rational about Richard Dawkins, Same Harris, or Stephen Pinker

Then I suggest you listen to and/or read their works. Education will enlighten you