Meeting of Minds

Steve Allen was a Renaissance man of sorts. He composed music (thousands of songs) and was an actor (including starring as Benny Goodman in the biopic of the jazz legend). He hosted pioneering radio and television shows (the original host of the Tonight Show). "And he was the author of 50 or more books (including Ripoff, the first book I ever reviewed for publication). One of his television and book projects was called "Meeting of Minds." It was a brilliant concept, at least to me. The premise was gathering "minds" of the past to discuss the past, present, and future. Each episode was a roundtable discussion, usually centered around dinner. Topics discussed included religion and religious toleration, women's rights, slavery, race, and specific historical events such as the Civil War. He presented personalities from all walks of life, from different time periods, and from the world over. For instance, one "dinner" included US Grant, Marie Antoinette, Karl Marx, and Sir Thomas More. Another "starred" Galileo, Emily Dickinson, Charles Darwin, and Attila the Hun. Actors and actresses, including his wife Jayne Meadows, played the parts, with Allen providing them a great depth of research. My question is this: If you could host a Meeting of Minds, who would you invite? You could have several episodes, so you wouldn't be restricted to four or five personalities. You, like Allen, could plumb the depths of history, all ages/eras, and travel the world. I'm pretty sure regular readers and those who know me recognize Abraham Lincoln would likely be my first invitee. Who would be his fellow first diners? So many from which to choose! Reserving the right to change my mind, I would initially complement him with Augustus, the first and greatest Roman emperor, Theodora, the wife and at least co-ruler of the Byzantines with her husband Justinian in the 6th Century, Mark Twain, and maybe David, of Goliath fame. Leonardo da Vinci would certainly help form a second group, maybe paired with Henry Ford. I might add Karl Marx and Aristotle. Another set might include Isaac Newton, George Washington, Winston Churchill, and Augustine. How interesting to have Genghis Khan for dinner with Emily Dickinsn and Jeanette Rankin, the first woman member of the US Congress who was the only person to vote "NO" to declarations of war for both the First and Second World Wars, Napoleon, and Julius Caesar. Imagine this conversation between Atilla t. Hun and Emily Dickinson: "Attila, would you mind passing the bread?" "But of course Emily. Love your poetry by the way." "Can I call you Atti? Or how about Hunny?" Let me consider one more: Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Jr., Frederick Douglass, and Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. The possible lists are endless and we could mix and match! If you had your "Meeting of Minds," who would be invited?