Great Thinkers

Meet the great minds whose ideas have shaped the world — philosophers, scientists, artists, leaders, and revolutionaries whose thinking still matters today.

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Era: Ancient × Research skills ×
Philosophy
Aristotle
384-322 BCE · Ancient Greece (Stagira, Macedonia)
Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher. He is one of the most important thinkers in the history of Western philosophy and science. He was born…
Critical thinking Ethical thinking Problem solving Research skills +1
"All human beings by nature desire to know."
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History
Ban Zhao
c. 45-c. 117 CE · China (Han dynasty)
Ban Zhao was a Chinese historian, poet, and teacher of the Eastern Han dynasty. She is the first known woman historian of China. She was…
Research skills Creative expression Ethical thinking Cultural heritage and identity +1
"Yet only to teach men and not to teach women — is this not ignoring the essential relationship between them?"
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Law
Cicero
106-43 BCE · Roman Republic (Italy)
Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman lawyer, statesman, philosopher, and writer. He is one of the most influential figures in the history of Western law…
Critical thinking Ethical thinking Creative expression Research skills +1
"The safety of the people shall be the highest law."
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Literature
Herodotus
c. 484-425 BCE · Halicarnassus, Asia Minor (now Turkey)
Herodotus (c.484-425 BCE) was an ancient Greek writer, born in Halicarnassus, a city on the southwestern coast of what is now Turkey. He lived during…
Research skills Critical thinking Cultural heritage and identity Storytelling and narrative +1
"Herodotus of Halicarnassus here presents his research so that human events do not fade with time, and that great and…"
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Medicine & Health
Hippocrates
c. 460-370 BCE · Cos, Ancient Greece
Hippocrates (c. 460-370 BCE) was an ancient Greek physician, born on the island of Cos. He is one of the most important figures in the…
Health literacy Scientific thinking Ethical thinking Research skills +1
"Life is short, the art long, opportunity fleeting, experience treacherous, judgment difficult."
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Mathematics
Hypatia of Alexandria
c.350-415 CE · Alexandria, Roman Egypt
Hypatia of Alexandria (c.350-415 CE) was a mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who taught in the Egyptian city of Alexandria during the late Roman Empire. She…
Scientific thinking Critical thinking Cultural heritage and identity Research skills +1
"Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all."
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