There have been several inquiries lately regarding the sort people algorithms.  As many of you have pointed out, the nuts and bolts of a few of the sort methods have changed recently.  I can’t give away all of the secret sauce but here’s a few hints pertaining to how the algorithms work:

Most Outspoken: number of arguments posted
Most Creative: number of debates created
Most Provocative: how many people vote for your arguments
Most Persuasive: how many people like your arguments

The cool part about the people categories is the Activity Period filter. Whenever you change the period, the rankings are determined on-the-fly. Everyday I check to see who’s tops for the day.