Great Thinkers

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

Filter by subject area
Biology 5 Chemistry 6 Physics 4 Mathematics 8 Medicine & Health 7 Technology & Engineering 6 Psychology 2
Philosophy 42 History 9 Literature 33 Language & Linguistics 5 Arts 5
Anthropology & Culture 6 Sociology 7 Religion 9 Education 7 Politics 19
Law 10 Economics 7 Business & Management 7
10 thinkers
Clear all filters
Metacognition × Critical thinking ×
Philosophy
Ibn Sina
980-1037 CE · Persia and Central Asia (present-day Uzbekistan and Iran)
Ibn Sina (980-1037 CE), known in the Western world as Avicenna, was a Persian Muslim philosopher and physician. He was born near Bukhara in what…
Scientific thinking Health literacy Critical thinking Research skills +1
"The knowledge of anything, since all things have causes, is not acquired or complete unless it is known by its…"
Meet this Thinker →
Economics
John Maynard Keynes
1883–1946 · Cambridge, England
John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946) was a British economist whose ideas changed the way governments manage their economies. He grew up in Cambridge, England, studied mathematics…
Critical thinking Critical literacy Metacognition
"In the long run we are all dead."
Meet this Thinker →
Philosophy
Kitaro Nishida
1870–1945 · Japan
Kitaro Nishida (1870–1945) was a Japanese philosopher and the founder of what is known as the Kyoto School — the first major tradition of Japanese…
Critical thinking Metacognition Intercultural competence Critical literacy
"At the base of our existence, there must be something that unifies the opposition of subject and object."
Meet this Thinker →
Physics
Marie Curie
1867–1934 · Warsaw, Poland / Paris, France
Marie Curie (1867–1934) was a physicist and chemist born in Warsaw, Poland, at a time when Poland was occupied by Russia and women were barred…
Critical thinking Resilience Metacognition Intercultural competence
"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood."
Meet this Thinker →
Philosophy
Nagarjuna
c. 150-250 CE · India, South Asia
Nagarjuna (approximately 150-250 CE) was an Indian Buddhist philosopher, widely considered one of the most important and influential thinkers in the entire history of Asian…
Metacognition Ethical thinking Scientific thinking Critical thinking +1
"Whatever is dependently arisen, that is explained to be emptiness. That, being a dependent designation, is itself the middle way."
Meet this Thinker →
Education
Paulo Freire
1921–1997 · Brazil, Latin America
Paulo Freire (1921–1997) was a Brazilian educator and thinker. He grew up during a time of great poverty and saw how many poor people could…
Critical literacy Critical thinking Metacognition Resilience +1
"Education either functions as an instrument to bring about conformity or it becomes the practice of freedom."
Meet this Thinker →
Business & Management
Sigmund Freud
1856–1939 · Austria / Czech Republic
Sigmund Freud (1856–1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis — one of the most influential and contested intellectual movements of the 20th…
Critical thinking Metacognition Resilience Critical literacy
"The interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious activities of the mind."
Meet this Thinker →
Philosophy
Socrates
c. 470–399 BCE · Athens, Ancient Greece
Socrates (c. 470–399 BCE) was a philosopher in ancient Athens, Greece. He wrote nothing himself — everything we know about him comes from the writings…
Critical thinking Metacognition Collaboration Resilience
"I know that I know nothing."
Meet this Thinker →
Philosophy
Søren Kierkegaard
1813-1855 · Denmark, Northern Europe
Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a Danish philosopher, writer, and theologian. He was born in Copenhagen, the youngest of seven children, and spent almost his entire…
Ethical thinking Metacognition Self regulation Learning how to learn +1
"The most common form of despair is not being who you are."
Meet this Thinker →
Philosophy
Thomas Kuhn
1922-1996 · United States
Thomas Kuhn (1922-1996) was an American philosopher and historian of science. He studied physics at Harvard University and then became interested in the history of…
Scientific thinking Research skills Critical thinking Metacognition +1
"Normal science does not aim at novelties of fact or theory and, when successful, finds none."
Meet this Thinker →