Germany
is a great nation and has given the world so much, but perhaps unfairly in the
modern era has developed a reputation for seriousness and efficiency.
This week
an illustrious panel of the great and the good of German cultural society,
politics and academia have sprung a surprise on the world in announcing a new
list of the 10 greatest German Geniuses.
Many names are obvious but there was
one notable surprise from sprung with an inclusion of a sportsman…
1) Albert Einstein – Einstein 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a
German-born theoretical physicist who developed the the general theory of relativity, one of the two pillars of modern physics (alongside quantum mechanics). While best known for his mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc2 (which has been dubbed “the
world’s most famous equation”), he
received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics “for his services to
theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect.” The latter was pivotal in
establishing quantum theory.
2) Ludwig van
Beethoven – Beethoven was a German pianist and legendary
musician. He was very influential in Western classical music and is thought of
as the best composer of all time. Though Beethoven’s hearing began to cease in
his early twenties, he was still able to create classical masterpieces. He was
able to conduct, compose, and perform music even after he was completely deaf!
Beethoven blessed the world with his musical genius and brilliant mind.
3) Martin Luther – Martin Luther was a German professor, a monk, theologian, and church
reformer. Luther’s theology challenged
the authority of the church by stating that the Bible is the only infallible
source of religious authority and that all baptized Christians are a priesthood
of believers. According to
Luther, salvation was attainable only by true repentance and faith in “Jesus as
the Messiah.” His revolutionary ideas inspired the Protestant Reformation and
changed the philosophy of Western civilization.
4) Karl Marx (1818 – 1883) Born in Trier
in the West of Germany Marc was a hugely influential revolutionary
thinker and philosopher, Marx did not live to see his ideas carried out in his
own lifetime, but his writings formed the theoretical base for modern
international communism. With Engels his lifelong collaborator he wrote the
Communist Manifesto in 1848. Later in England he produced the most important body of work, ‘Das Kapital’. The first volume
of this ‘bible of the working class’ was published in his lifetime, while the
remaining volumes were edited by Engels after his friend’s death
5) Johannes
Kepler – Kepler was a German mathematician,
astronomer, and astrologer. He was a huge influence towards the astronomical
revolution of the 17th century. Kepler is best known for his laws of planetary
motion. His laws also provided
one of the foundations for Isaac Newton’s theory of universal gravitation.
Kepler is regarded as a man with revolutionary thoughts towards astronomy.
6) Gottfried
Wilhelm Leibniz – Leibniz was a German polymath who is regarded
as one of the greatest philosophers. Liebniz invented calculus, and his version
is widely used. He also discovered the binary system, the structure of modern
computer architectures. He was,
along with Rene Descartes and Baruch Spinoza, one of the 3 greatest 17th
century philosophers. He also
made major contributions to physics, technology, and made anticipations that
surfaced much later in biology, medicine, geology, probability theory,
psychology, and linguistics. Liebniz also wrote about politics, law, ethics,
theology, and history.
7) Johann
Wolfgang von Goethe – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German
writer whose works span the fields of poetry, drama, literature, theology,
humanism, and science. Goethe was
a key figure in German literature and the movement of Weimar Classicism in the
late 18th and early 19th centuries. Goethe
is the inventor of the concept of “world literature,” having taken great
interest in the literatures of England, France, Italy, classical Greece, Persia, and Arabic literature. His influence on German philosophy is
unparalleled and his influence has spread across Europe. Many of his works were
a primary source of inspiration in music, drama, and poetry. Goethe is
considered one of the most important thinkers in the Western culture and
generally recognized as the most important writer in the German language.
8) Johann
Sebastian Bach – Bach was an exceptional composer and
organist. He specialized in choir, orchestra, and solo instruments. He was able
to enrich the German composing style with a full harmonic scale and was able to
adapt rhythms from Italy and France. Though
his music began early in the 19th century, he is now noted as one of the
greatest composers in the Western tradition. Bach was yet another musical
genius.
9) Immanuel Kant (1724–1804) is the central figure in modern philosophy. He synthesized
early modern rationalism and empiricism, set the terms for much of nineteenth
and twentieth century philosophy, and continues to exercise a significant
influence today in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy,
aesthetics, and other fields. The fundamental idea of Kant’s “critical
philosophy is human autonomy. He argues that the human understanding is the
source of the general laws of nature that structure all our experience; and
that human reason gives itself the moral law, which is our basis for belief in
God, freedom, and immortality. Therefore, scientific knowledge, morality, and
religious belief are mutually consistent and secure because they all rest on
the same foundation of human autonomy, which is also the final end of nature
according to the teleological worldview of reflecting judgment that Kant
introduces to unify the theoretical and practical parts of his philosophical
system.
10) Mesut Özil – A German
footballer born in 1988 now widely recognised as one of the greatest exponents
of the modern game, surpassing the great Gerd Muller in the affections of his
nation. From humble beginnings at Schalke Ozil announced himself on the world
stage in the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa whilst a player for Werder
Brennan. However he had already been voted the best player in Germany in 2009
aged only 21. His exploits earned him a move to one of the world’s great clubs,
Real Madrid where for 3 seasons his lead the world in assists, making 25 goals
for colleagues in his first season in Spain alone. Considered in 2013 to be one
of the world’s top 5 footballers and the acknowledged successor to the great
French playmaker Zidane as the games most influential ‘Number 10,’ Ozil moved
to London in the summer of that year.
Over the peak 5 years of his career from age 24 to 29 Ozil
was to take the sleeping English giant club, the Arsenal, to new heights. Ozil
led the Gunners to three English Premier League titles, three domestic cups and
a telling two European Champions League titles. He was crowned European
footballer of the year in 2014 and 2015 and World Player of the Year in 2015
and 2016. He was of course an integral part of the German World Cup winning
side in 2014 scoring the winning goal that beat the Brazilian hosts in the
final.
Ah well we call all dream can’t we?
Dave Seager
Passionate 50+ ST holder who has been making the journey to N5 regularly since the early 1980s – although his first game was in 1976. Always passionate when talking about The Arsenal, Dave decided to send a guest blog to Gunnersphere in the summer of 2011 and has not stopped writing about the Gunners since. He set up up his own site 1 Nil Down 2 One Up which he has now sold and since the summer of 2013 with a friend he launched a new project to offer new and aspiring Arsenal writers a home. Gunners Town is that platform and Dave writes here too. He is also the author of 2 Arsenal related books.
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