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Typing Seven Historical Figures

Nott

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I have to read Hamlet's Blackberry as a freshman pre-orientation requirement and I'd like to use the sited historical figures' Myers-Briggs types in my essay's argument, if applicable. Before I include MBTI in my writing, I'd like some additional opinions to make sure I'm typing them correctly. I realize it is difficult to type historical figures with complete confidence and accuracy, but all opinions are apprecieated.

Plato
Seneca
Gutenberg
Shakespeare (specifically, evidenced through Hamlet)
Ben Franklin
Thoreau
McLuhan
 

Foxman49

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Plato: XNTJ
Seneca: Which one?
Shakespeare: *shrugs* hard to say. I've read Hamlet, Macbeth, and the Tragedy of Julius Caesar, which is not nearly comprehensive. One can't really limit the available when typing people.
Franklin: ENTP is possible
Thoreau: IXFP (probably N)
McLuhan: don't know who this guy is

That being said, crafting an argument using MBTI is, at best, misguided. You need to explain type theory just to make the argument comprehensible. This is way too long a tangent. Use something simple and understandable to your prof (or whoever the paper's for).

I also fail to see how the MBTI would be relevant to an actual English paper.:confused:
 

Nott

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It's not technically an English paper, it's our reaction to a book and I would only reference MBTI as an alternate explaination for the historical figures' lifestyle choices if I can. Frankly, I'm just trying to make an uninteresting (in my opinion) book bearable.

What makes you say Thoreau is an F? Would you possibly consider Shakespeare (or Hamlet) as an INFP? I would assume he's talking about Seneca the Stoic Philosopher, but I'm not entirely sure. Marshall McLuhan was a philosopher of communications theory, if that helps.
 

Hadoblado

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I'd just like to reemphasise the advice already given. If you care at all about your marks, do not use MBTI in an assignment unless your teacher is really very open to that sort of thing. Like... as in they don't really care what you do.

It's fine and all to speculate about their types while writing, but you're derailing yourself from the onset if you start relating your Humanities topic to pop-psychology. What year are you?
 

Nott

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Thank you for your concern, I definitely understand the perils of using MBTI or really any "pop-psychology" in a paper of this nature. This particular paper is ungraded and isn't for a particular class, and I am a college freshman.

I am mostly looking for these types for my own personal benefit. I wouldn't use the actual types in my paper per se (I wouldn't say "Plato was an INFJ, therefore...), I would simply use their personality traits, made more understandable to me through Myers-Briggs (since I have very little prior knowledge of some of these historical figures).

I am in the most preliminary phases of writing this paper. MBTI is in no way the foundation of my argument, but I think it would be useful as an example of how unbalanced the case studies are.
 

Cherry Cola

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I would've echoed Hado's sentiment, but if you feel like you know what you're up to then I guess it's alright.

Unfortunately the only one of these fellows I'm comfortable typing is Plato, and he's an INFJ. You could try mailing the admins of celebritytypes.com, they are big on typing historical figures and have a lot of experience doing it.
 
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