Greatest Ever Scot Revisited

[robbiethepiper]

Let's get real. There are too many people in the world today. The planet simply cannot sustain the present population growth. We NEED a few bloody wars, and half-a-dozen serious plagues, so that those remaining can enjoy some sort of quality of life!

[Lallans]

Let's get real. There are too many people in the world today. The planet simply cannot sustain the present population growth. We NEED a few bloody wars, and half-a-dozen serious plagues, so that those remaining can enjoy some sort of quality of life!

Much to my surprise, I have a contrarian opinion . Aside from the USA, which is statistically holding its own without increasing, in the developed world our populations are actually falling, and with increasing speed. There will be no need for a war or other cataclism, any interested invaders will basically just able to stand around and take over. I refer everyone to Mark Steyn's book 'America Alone'.

As far as the art vs science thing of the earliest posts goes, to my mind it's like comparing Apples to Blackberries (dig the hip current reference). Between Burns and Fleming, Burns has been a force for, what, 400 years, and Fleming had a shorter term effect that has largely been p-ssed away to grow bigger hogs and chickens. However Fleming's saving of lives will continue as long as those survivors' genes are passed along; Burns will be a major figure as long as the English language keeps him comprhensible, and still a force after that.

Apples and blackberries. I like both but I favour the latter (RIM being Canadian).

[McClef]

You are never going to get agreement on this!

I have just joined a Masonic site where there is a big discussion on who was the greatest Scottish Freemason - Burns v others!

All I can say is whose birthday is the most celebrated?....

[Chas]

Let's get real. There are too many people in the world today. The planet simply cannot sustain the present population growth. We NEED a few bloody wars, and half-a-dozen serious plagues, so that those remaining can enjoy some sort of quality of life!

I am sure that we will all mourn you, when you are gone.

Regards

Chas

[Livingston]

I'm afraid I will have to disagree with all of you. There is no good way to say who is the single greatest. Yes, Burns would be the greatest Scottish poet. AND, Fleming could be argued as the greatest Scottish scientist. But I would suggest that you can only take greatest to being the greatest of a catagory, not of everything. To those that are more interested in the arts a scientist would never be the greatest and the same goes the other way.

Just my 2 cents.