von Neumann. Not just because of the depth of his knowledge and his many, many accomplishments in mathematics and computer science, but because of the extraordinary breadth and range of his intellect as well. He had what amounts to total mastery of not just his own chosen scientific disciplines, but was at or above that level in literally dozens of other fields. Certainly while he was alive, and probably throughout all of history, he had the most "comprehensive" grasp of the totality of (contemporaneously available) human scientific understanding versus any other single individual. His ability to integrate new knowledge and also to clearly and concisely break down concepts to other people were a result of this breadth-- He could immediately adapt whatever the concept in question was to the learner, because his knowledge of other fields allowed him to map out a route to understanding that was tailored to the individual's own intellectual foundation, rather than simply repeating a formula.
This might not seem super impressive, because that's what tutors and teachers do all the time, but the difference with von Neumann is simply the level of understanding we're talking about. There are several examples in biographies of von Neumann that describe incidents where scientists considered the best in their respective fields would have their own work advanced or difficult problems these individuals were grappling with were easily and comprehensively solved on the spot by von Neumann in casual conversation. Not even a scratch pad or a slide rule. He'd literally complete or solve, ENTIRELY IN HIS HEAD, cutting edge scientific problems posed by his contemporaries, viciously difficult questions that these people worked daily to tackle, and do this in MULTIPLE disparate fields that didn't even really closely relate to his own research topics.
To break down von Neumann's strengths:
1- His own massive and epochal discoveries in mathematics and computer science (comp sci would be decades behind where it is now sans von Neumann)
2- Extraordinary depth AND breadth of knowledge in many fields (legendary status in a several fields, world- or global-class status in many fields simultaneously)
3- Combination of crystallized and fluid intelligence as well as high communication ability, even being world-class at 1 of these 3 things is rare, he was unquestionably world-class in all 3
4- Prodigious computational ability (somewhat overlaps with his aforementioned high fluid intelligence, but computational ability is a specific subset of intelligence that combines several areas of intelligence, including both crystallized and fluid intellect, but also incorporates other sensory areas, this makes it worth mentioning. The way I like to think of it is that he was both a graphing calculator and Wikipedia in one, both able to execute complex problems mentally, but also able to compare and organize data sets from across disciplines on top of that)
My other pick, and it would be a pretty distant second, would probably be Leibniz.
Shazprime
Newton. Every time I learn more about Newton, the more amazed I am as to what he did. It’s impossible to overstate what Newton accomplished with respect to his time.
michaelrivera
It is obviously John Von Neumann. His teacher in college, George Polya, relates the story of the time when he was explaining to his students some previously unsolved problem in mathematics. Von Neumann stared into the distance for five minutes, then calmly walked to the blackboard and wrote down the proof. According to Polya, "Johnny was the only student I was afraid of."
jussihamalainen
It pisses me off nobody is mentioning Euler. The man is the most influential in mathematics till date.2nd Newton no doubt
mayankatawane
I'd still like Carl Sagan to speak with the aliens.
WeirdSmellyMan
Quote from one genius about other geniuses: “I have known a great many intelligent people in my life. I knew Max Planck, Max von Laue, and Wemer Heisenberg. Paul Dirac was my brother-in-Iaw; Leo Szilard and Edward Teller have been among my closest friends; and Albert Einstein was a good friend, too. And I have known many of the brightest younger scientists. But none of them had a mind as quick and acute as Jancsi von Neumann. I have often remarked this in the presence of those men, and no one ever disputed me. [...] But Einstein's understanding was deeper than even Jancsi von Neumann's. His mind was both more penetrating and more original than von Neumann's. And that is a very remarkable statement. Einstein took an extraordinary pleasure in invention. Two of his greatest inventions are the Special and General Theories of Relativity; and for all of Jancsi's brilliance, he never produced anything so original.” - Wigner (Nobel Prize in Physics in 1963)
JohannesLanger-hz
Eratostenes was a brilliant Greek scientist. But 2, 200 years worth of knowledge and information will b too much for him to handle. He calculated the earth circumsference and axial tilt with incredible accuracy. He believed the other planets orbited the sun and even said planet earth is not the only one with life. Whoever the United Nations chose, Carl Sagan would be a great assistant.
philoyphilia
Da Vinci made advances in multiple disciplines, including anatomy, such as identifying arteriosclerosis and discovering the atria and certain valves of the heart (and their behaviors), as well as groundbreaking graphic illustrations in the field; in aeronautics, he basically invented a glider that was reconstructed in modern times and flown successfully; in mechanics, he anticipated Newton’s 3rd law of motion; in botany, he discovered the growth rings of trees; in geology, he was among the pioneers who sensed the earth was much, much older than the Biblical 6000 years—he also made discoveries in fluid dynamics, optics and acoustics—and much more can be said, including that he wrote this lone sentence in one of his his notebooks: “The sun does not move, ” although he elaborated no further.
And on top of it all, some credit him with the most innovations in painting by a single artist.
The problem is that, for reasons scholars still without a diffinitive explanation, da Vinci never published any of his findings. Although there is evidence that copies were made of his notebooks that circulated in some major European cities.
Considering the breadth of fields he covered, da Vinci must be considered one of the greatest thinkers ever—and, note, he was largely self-taught, a self-made genius, so to speak.
josephkellard
Physicist Edward Teller on "Johnny" Von Neumann:
"He could, and did, talk to my three year-old son... on his own terms! I sometimes wondered whether his relations to the rest of us were a little bit similar."
joshwhalen
I like Feynman.
He had multiple good ideas, he was multifaceted, great communicator, artistic, music, logical, imaginative and a funny guy.
Daveyboyz
Gauss, Newton, von Neumann, Archimedes.
DC-zise
"We stand on the shoulders of giants."
cedricgist
I'm surprised no one mentioned Aristotle. He was wrong about a lot of things from the stand point of modern science, and yet he laid down the foundation of inquiry that led to science developing in Europe. It's also worth noting that the ideas of Aristotle and Euclid held ground longer than probably anyone in history.
dylanmcdermott
Archimedes is a genius who is hugely inderrrated because most of his work was since lost.
innosanto
Isaac Newton hands down. I truly believe that if he were alive today his IQ would be incalculable. He was truly an enigma. The kind of intelligence that comes around once in a few handfuls of generations, and needs to be lucky enough to have been born in the right place to have proper influence and adequate resources to be utilized. An absolute hyper-genius. He was also well known to have been extremely odd and most likely autistic.
Docosi
I’m surprised no one mentioned Leonardo Da Vinci as someone who is the smartest or at least one of the smartest people ever. If you do your research, he’s the most brilliant “pound for pound” person to ever exist hands down.
Wonder
How about Euler? :| He discovered so much stuff in mathematics that we had to stop naming things after him.
Celrador
John von Neumann probably the best all-rounder
MarleneWalker-suku
James Clerk Maxwell, he's *my* pick.
douglasstrother
It depends whether the alien civilization acts with emotion or conforms to the mistress that is modern science. Either way, I'd be rooting for Feynman to take them to a gentlemen's bar and solve the problem there; maybe incorporate some Bongo or Tuvan throat singing. Von Neumann would be pretty stumped in that scenario
