EuroBillTracker

A few months ago the Germans decided in a television program that Konrad Adenauer is the greatest German of all times before Martin Luther and Karl Marx.

The people of the United Kingdom decided that Winston Churchill got this honour.

I believe they did choose the greatest Dutchmen too but I can't find any information about who became the greatest Dutchmen. In Belgium they are thinking to make such a program too for next year. Next year Belgium exists 175 years.

Now I was thinking why don't we go and search for the greatest European of all times. What's your opinion about that? I say yes.

If there are ten more yes votes than no votes, we will go for it.

The poll will end sunday the 12th of september at 20.00 in the evening Belgian time.

It's a very good idea, I think.
I said yes, but I'm waiting before the end of the poll to give a name; some rules should be decided.

The world is much too complex for such a simple question, and hardly anyone has enough knowledge in all topics to really judge who the best was.

I think it doesn't make sense to search for "the greatest", "the best" or something like that. There are many greatest or best ones, in many respects. Depending from which perspective you look at the world, you can always see many different "best ones". Do we look for the best scientist or the best politician etc.? If you decide for a scientist, do you look for the one who had most influence or the one who invented the most useful things? And so on...

And cult of personality rarely leads to something good.

micro wrote: And cult of personality rarely leads to something good.

I agree completely,


You can not specify who's the best of a continent,
you don't know everybody

!Pretfles! wrote:

micro wrote: And cult of personality rarely leads to something good.

I agree completely,


You can not specify who's the best of a continent,
you don't know everybody

i agree too.

Besides, we all know it's Goethe

micro wrote:The world is much too complex for such a simple question, and hardly anyone has enough knowledge in all topics to really judge who the best was.

I think it doesn't make sense to search for "the greatest", "the best" or something like that. There are many greatest or best ones, in many respects. Depending from which perspective you look at the world, you can always see many different "best ones". Do we look for the best scientist or the best politician etc.? If you decide for a scientist, do you look for the one who had most influence or the one who invented the most useful things? And so on...

And cult of personality rarely leads to something good.

That's why I am thinking to make a rule which says that every user can nominate more than 1 person. However two users can't nominate the same person. They have to bring up other persons than.

From this variety of persons one will be chosen as the greatest European of all times.

Why couldn't we simply vote each month for the European personnality of the month?
After all, we have a poll about avatars each month...

Olivier wrote:Why couldn't we simply vote each month for the European personnality of the month?
After all, we have a poll about avatars each month...

Olivier: that's a great idea. Trying to find out who is the greatest European ever is like trying to decide what is the greatest song ever. Everybody has an opinion (and is probably someone from their own country ).

BogPoet wrote:

Olivier wrote:Why couldn't we simply vote each month for the European personnality of the month?
After all, we have a poll about avatars each month...

Olivier: that's a great idea. Trying to find out who is the greatest European ever is like trying to decide what is the greatest song ever. Everybody has an opinion (and is probably someone from their own country ).

Could you start a poll for the best european personality for last august? (because september just starts)

Olivier wrote:

BogPoet wrote:

Olivier wrote:Why couldn't we simply vote each month for the European personnality of the month?
After all, we have a poll about avatars each month...

Olivier: that's a great idea. Trying to find out who is the greatest European ever is like trying to decide what is the greatest song ever. Everybody has an opinion (and is probably someone from their own country ).

Could you start a poll for the best european personality for last august? (because september just starts)

I still like mine idea but I like this idea too! Shouldn't we first discuss some rules. Does that person need to be born and live in Europe or only live in Europe. Where does Europe end? I can imagine that there can be some problem with that in Russia. What about the colonies, the overseas areas of some countries?

That question about starting a poll did you ask that to me or to BogPoet, Olivier?

The northern & southern border of Europe is: The Ural mountains -> Caspian Sea -> Caucasus -> Black Sea -> Istanbul -> The Mediterranean -> Gibraltar & Spain... I guess.

The problems could be solved as they occur. I think that most of the nominees will not be from any colonies, the Azores or Russia beyond the Ural mountains for example... Birthplace shouldn't matter especially if the nominee has afterwards grown up and lived in Europe.

You can still vote until sunday

Why don't you say (for the sake of clarity) that 'Europe' is the 25 member states of the EU and the 4 countries bounded to them by treaties (Andorra, San Marino, Monaco and Vatican City) including their embassies and excluding the remaining colonies oversee (e.g. the Netherlands Antilles and the French Territoires d'outre-mer) and the embassies of other countries.

European would (again for the sake of clarity) best be met with 'lived in/represented a European country during the achievement of which he/she is now nominated for'.

E.g.:
European:
- A man living in Belgium
- A citizen of Andorra
- The English ambassador in Thailand
- The French toilet cleaner of the American embassy in France

Non-European:
- A woman living in Switzerland
- A person living in French Guiana
- The Ghanese ambassador in Italy
- The Brazilian toilet cleaner of the German embassy in Brazil

Ehhh, clarity... Hmm, well, at least to me it's clear now...
Greetings,

Senior

Senior wrote: E.g.:
European:
- A man living in Belgium
- A citizen of Andorra
- The English ambassador in Thailand
- The French toilet cleaner of the American embassy in France

Non-European:
- A woman living in Switzerland
- A person living in French Guiana
- The Ghanese ambassador in Italy
- The Brazilian toilet cleaner of the German embassy in Brazil

A person living in French Guyana is a french citizen and lives in a french department, so he/she is a european citizen and gets a EU passeport...

I would say a European is simply a EU citizen.

We can enlarge to the citizens of the European Economical Area: Monaco, Andorra, Vatican, San-Marino, Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland.

What about european residents? (non EU-citizen but living in the EU for years).

querty wrote:
That question about starting a poll did you ask that to me or to BogPoet, Olivier?

You both!
Let's agree on the definition of who is european and who is not. Then, let's start a poll.
- First step: nominations,
- then the vote (the same as for the avatars).

Do you agree?

I've started a poll on the definition of what a European is.
I propose we open the nomination for the best European of september. Then the vote could start on october 1st.