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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Problem solving × Emotional intelligence ×
Politics
Albert Maori Kiki
1931-1993 · Papua New Guinea
Sir Albert Maori Kiki was a Papua New Guinean pathologist, trade unionist, politician, and writer. He was a co-founder of the Pangu Pati (Pangu Party),…
Creative expression Cultural heritage and identity Ethical thinking Problem solving +1
"I have lived ten thousand years in one lifetime."
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Economics
Angus Deaton
born 1945 · United Kingdom
Angus Deaton is an economist. He was born in 1945 in Edinburgh, Scotland. His father was a coal miner who valued education highly. Deaton won…
Critical thinking Research skills Ethical thinking Problem solving +1
"Life is better now than at almost any time in history, but this is a story with two sides."
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Economics
Jeffrey Sachs
born 1954 · United States
Jeffrey Sachs is an American economist. He was born in 1954 in Detroit, in the United States. He studied economics at Harvard University, where he…
Problem solving Ethical thinking Critical thinking Research skills +1
"Extreme poverty can be ended, not in the time of our grandchildren, but in our own time."
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Politics
Judith Heumann
1947-2023 · United States
Judith Heumann was an American disability rights activist. She is often called 'the mother of the disability rights movement'. She was born on 18 December…
Ethical thinking Critical thinking Cultural heritage and identity Emotional intelligence +1
"Some people say that what I did changed the world. But really, I simply refused to accept what I was…"
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Religion
Khadija bint Khuwaylid
c. 555-619 · Arabia (Mecca)
Khadija bint Khuwaylid was a successful Arabian merchant in 6th- and 7th-century Mecca. She is honoured in Islamic tradition as the first Muslim and as…
Ethical thinking Cultural heritage and identity Problem solving Emotional intelligence +1
"By God, God will never humiliate you. You maintain family ties, you help to carry the burdens of the weak,…"
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Arts
Ludwig van Beethoven
1770 - 1827 · Germany / Austria
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. He was born in 1770 in Bonn, in what is now Germany. He is one of…
Creative expression Emotional intelligence Problem solving Cultural heritage and identity +1
"Music can change the world."
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Law
Nelson Mandela
1918-2013 · South Africa
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela was a South African lawyer, freedom fighter, and statesman. He led the long struggle to end apartheid, the racist system that ruled…
Ethical thinking Critical thinking Cultural heritage and identity Emotional intelligence +1
"I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and…"
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Philosophy
Peter Singer
1946-present · Australia (currently United States)
Peter Singer is an Australian philosopher. He is one of the most widely read living philosophers and one of the most controversial. He was born…
Ethical thinking Critical thinking Problem solving Cultural heritage and identity +1
"The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?"
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Education
Scott Thornbury
born 1950 · New Zealand
Scott Thornbury is a teacher and writer who works in English language teaching. This field is often called ELT for short. He was born in…
Critical thinking Creative expression Problem solving Research skills +1
"Teaching unplugged means trusting the talk: the lesson grows out of what the learners say."
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History
Toussaint Louverture
c. 1743-1803 · Haiti (Saint-Domingue)
Toussaint Louverture was the main leader of the Haitian Revolution. This was the only successful slave revolt in modern history. It turned a French slave…
Critical thinking Ethical thinking Cultural heritage and identity Problem solving +1
"In overthrowing me, you have cut down in Saint-Domingue only the trunk of the tree of liberty. It will spring…"
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Arts
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
1756-1791 · Salzburg (now Austria)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrian composer. He is one of the most celebrated composers in European classical music. He was born in 1756 in…
Creative expression Emotional intelligence Cultural heritage and identity Critical thinking +1
"I pay no attention whatever to anybody's praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings."
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