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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223 thinkers
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Ethical thinking × Page 10 of 10
Politics
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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Literature
William Shakespeare
1564-1616 · England
William Shakespeare was an English writer. He is often called the greatest writer in the English language. He was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, a…
Creative expression Emotional intelligence Critical thinking Cultural heritage and identity +1
"To be, or not to be, that is the question."
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Literature
Wole Soyinka
1934 - present · Nigeria (Yoruba)
Wole Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, poet, novelist, essayist, and political activist. In 1986 he became the first African writer to win the Nobel Prize…
Creative expression Ethical thinking Cultural heritage and identity Critical thinking +1
"A tiger does not proclaim its tigritude. It pounces."
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Philosophy
Zera Yacob
c. 1599-c. 1692 · Ethiopia
Zera Yacob was an Ethiopian philosopher of the seventeenth century. His main work is a short book called the Hatata, which means 'inquiry' or 'investigation'.…
Critical thinking Ethical thinking Research skills Cultural heritage and identity +1
"All men are equal in the presence of God; and all are intelligent since they are his creatures."
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Philosophy
Zhu Xi
1130-1200 · China
Zhu Xi was a Chinese philosopher, teacher, and government official of the Southern Song dynasty. He was born on 18 October 1130 in Youxi, in…
Ethical thinking Critical thinking Research skills Cultural heritage and identity +1
"If we wish to extend our knowledge to the utmost, we must investigate the principles of all things we come…"
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Philosophy
Zhuangzi
c. 369-286 BCE · China
Zhuangzi was a Chinese philosopher of the 4th century BCE. His name means 'Master Zhuang'. His personal name was Zhuang Zhou. He lived during a…
Critical thinking Creative expression Emotional intelligence Ethical thinking +1
"Once Zhuang Zhou dreamed he was a butterfly, a butterfly flitting and fluttering around, happy with himself and doing as…"
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Business & Management
Émile Durkheim
1858-1917 · France
Émile Durkheim (1858-1917) was a French scholar who is widely regarded as one of the founders of modern sociology. He was born in Épinal, in…
Scientific thinking Critical thinking Research skills Ethical thinking +1
"A social fact is any way of acting, whether fixed or not, capable of exerting over the individual an external…"
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