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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Biology 3 Chemistry 3 Physics 3 Mathematics 7 Medicine & Health 1 Technology & Engineering 4 Psychology 1

Philosophy 17 History 7 Literature 27 Arts 6

Anthropology & Culture 8 Sociology 3 Religion 4 Education 5 Politics 13

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Era: Contemporary × Page 6 of 6

Anthropology & Culture

c. 1898 - 1975 · Egypt

Umm Kulthum was an Egyptian singer. She was probably the most famous Arab cultural figure of the 20th century. She was born around 1898 in…

Creative expression Cultural heritage and identity Emotional intelligence Critical thinking +1

"Sing a beautiful song with a strong meaning, and the people will love you."

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Ursula K. Le Guin

1929-2018 · United States

Ursula Kroeber Le Guin was an American novelist, essayist, and poet. She is one of the most important writers of science fiction and fantasy in…

Creative expression Critical thinking Ethical thinking Cultural heritage and identity +1

"We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine right of kings. Any human power can be…"

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1941-2025 · Democratic Republic of the Congo (later United States)

Valentin-Yves Mudimbe was a Congolese philosopher, novelist, and linguist. He was one of the most important African thinkers of the late 20th century. He was…

Critical thinking Cultural heritage and identity Research skills Ethical thinking +1

"There exists an African way of interpreting the world which presents the universe as a totality."

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1952-present · India, South Asia

Vandana Shiva (born 1952) is an Indian physicist, environmental activist, and philosopher. She was born in Dehradun in the foothills of the Himalayas, into a…

Nutrition and food systems Environmental thinking Citizenship Systems thinking +1

"Seed is the source of life and the first link in the food chain. Control over seed means control over…"

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Vine Deloria Jr.

1933 - 2005 · United States (Standing Rock Sioux)

Vine Deloria Jr. was a Native American scholar, writer, and activist. He was the most influential Native American intellectual of the 20th century. His books…

Critical thinking Ethical thinking Cultural heritage and identity Research skills +1

"We are the only humans who became Indians."

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W. Edwards Deming

1900-1993 · United States

William Edwards Deming (1900-1993) was an American statistician and management consultant whose work on quality control and systematic thinking about production reshaped manufacturing in Japan…

Scientific thinking Critical thinking Research skills Ethical thinking +1

"In God we trust; all others must bring data."

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1868-1963 · United States

W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, and one of the most important intellectual figures of the twentieth century. His…

Critical thinking Citizenship Cultural heritage and identity Research skills +1

"The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the colour line."

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1942-1980 · Guyana, Caribbean / South America

Walter Rodney (1942-1980) was a Guyanese historian, political thinker, and activist. He was born in Georgetown, Guyana, then a British colony in South America, and…

Systems thinking Citizenship Civic media and democracy Financial literacy +1

"African development is possible only on the basis of a radical break with the international capitalist system, which has been…"

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Wangari Maathai

1940-2011 · Kenya

Wangari Muta Maathai was a Kenyan environmental activist, scientist, and politician. In 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.…

Ethical thinking Problem solving Scientific thinking Cultural heritage and identity +1

"It is the little things citizens do. That's what will make the difference. My little thing is planting trees."

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1950 - 2016 · Iraq (later United Kingdom)

Zaha Hadid was an Iraqi-British architect. She was one of the most important architects of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. She was the…

Creative expression Problem solving Scientific thinking Cultural heritage and identity +1

"I don't believe in a 'female sensibility' in architecture. I think there are women who design well, just like there…"

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Anthropology & Culture

Zora Neale Hurston

1891-1960 · United States

Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960) was an African American anthropologist, folklorist, and novelist, one of the most significant figures in both the Harlem Renaissance and the…

Cultural heritage and identity Research skills Storytelling and narrative Critical literacy +1

"I am not tragically colored. There is no great sorrow dammed up in my soul, nor lurking behind my eyes.…"

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1952–2021 · United States

bell hooks (1952–2021) was an American educator, professor, feminist theorist, and cultural critic. She was born Gloria Jean Watkins in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, into a working-class…

Critical thinking Critical literacy Resilience Intercultural competence +1

"To educate as the practice of freedom is a way of teaching that anyone can learn."

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