Free Thinkers Through History

1. Free Thinkers Through History Or, people who like to think outside the box.

2. What is a Free Thinker? • A Free Thinker (also often written as freethinker) can be defined as: • freethinker n. One who has rejected authority and dogma, especially in his religious thinking, in favor of rational inquiry and speculation.-The American Heritage Dictionary • Or they are people who have “rejected a dangerous commonly held belief (or several of them) in favor of rational thinking.” • Or they are people who dare to change the norm in a way that is unexpected or unacceptable for a period of time.

3. Socrates • Let's meet Socrates • BC 469-399 Socrates is known for his ideas in ethics, Socratic irony and Socratic method or discussion (still used today in many classrooms worldwide.) Socrates is often thought of as a teacher who would ask questions of their students to make the students think about the deeper issues within a problem. It is widely thought that Socrates is one of the founders of Western Philosophy.

4. Plato • BC 424-348 – a classic Greek philosopher, mathematician and scientist. Plato was the founder of the Academy of Athens. Plato was a student and colleague of Socrates and a teacher to Aristotle. Plato believed that knowledge is a matter of recollection and not one of learning, studying or observing. Plato is most known for his dialogues where many of his ideas and ideals are found.

5. Aristotle • (B.C. 384-322), the greatest thinker of the ancient world and the encyclopaedic organizer of all knowledge. Aristotle rejected the idea of spirit but invented the idea of the immaterial. He is known for saying that man's mind, for instance, is not material yet could exist only in an intimate union with matter. Aristotle is known for having delved into almost all subjects: logic, zoology, psychology, metaphysics, scientific method, religion, philosophy, teaching, physics and geology just to name a few.

6. Christopher Columbus and friends • 1451-1506 his discovery of the Americas led to Spanish (and other groups) colonization within the new world. Even though others had made it to the America’s this is the first time the colonization sticks. Despite rumors and questions about Columbus, without the adventure taken by many explorers the world would have been very different for many years.

7. Nicolaus Copernicus • 1473-1543 is best known for supporting the idea that the earth is NOT the center of the universe. This was unheard of in his time. It is thought that this epiphany is what began the Scientific revolution.

8. Martin Luther • 1483-1546 was a German Monk who’s writings led to the beginning of the Protestant Revolution. Luther’s main argument stated that people could not buy or earn their salvation, instead it was freely given through Jesus’ death on the cross. The church at the time strongly disagreed with this principle along with several other ideas.

9. Leonardo DaVinci • 1452-1519 often described as the archetype of “the Renaissance Man”. He was a man of many talents – artist, sculptor, mathematician, scientist, inventor, geologist, anatomist and writer. DaVinci conceptualized many items that would not be developed until many, many years later – helicopters and tanks among them. While DaVinci did not inflame the government he was very forward in his thinking and ideas.

10. Galileo Galilie • 1564-1642 is known for his interests and studies in physics, mathematics, astronomy and philosophy. He played a major role in what is known as the “Scientific Revolution” but in his time he was questioned by the Roman Inquisition. His ideas have since been found to be very credible and important to modern science and math.

11. Sir Isaac Newton • 1642-1727 an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, philosopher, alchemist and theologian. Newton scientific laws are indispensible in today’s scientific studies. Newton is also known to have rejected religion in favor of a study of the occult.

12. Francois Arouet De Voltaire • (1694 - 1778), the greatest of all freethinkers. he was educated in a clerical college but as a youth learned from his clerical teacher to smile at religion. He was banished from the capital for insulting the Prince Regent (an unspeakable blackguard) in his 22nd year and in the following year was sent to the Bastille for further free speech. He loved brilliance, but a few stints in Bastille caused him to spend nearly the whole of the rest of his life in exile for the right of free speech and other civil liberties. His books were suppressed or burned by the hangman. He had a passion for justice, religious toleration, and freedom, and he was a man of the greatest generosity. Few men were ever so widely read or had such influence yet, though the world still talks about him, few really know him. He was a Deist, but his God, though infinite and eternal, did not create the universe, which is eternal. He ridiculed the idea of an immortal soul.

13. Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia • (1729-1796) noted to be one the of most powerful and influential female rulers. The time of her rule is often referred to a the Golden age of Russian Nobility. Catherine the Great is known for expanding the Russian empire, reforming the government, creating many cities and towns, encouraging the Russian period of Enlightenment and she began a great program of social reform in Russia. Catherine relied heavily on French philosophers for her ideas.

14. Elizabeth Cady Stanton • 1815-1902 was a social activist, abolitionist and women’s suffragette. Stanton joined others such as Susan B. Anthony to stand up for the rights of those who had little to no voice within society. She caused additional upheaval when she refused to support the 14th and 15th amendments because they did not also include the rights of women. • A mini documentary on Elizabeth Cady Stanton

15. Louis Pasteur • 1822-1895 a chemist and microbiologist, Pasteur led those in his time to understand the theory of disease and the usefulness of vaccines. These revolutionary ideas changed the faces of microbiology and modern medicine.

16. Mahatma Gandhi • 1869-1948 through the use of non-violent civil disobedience Gandhi was able to begin the movement to overthrow the British empire and their rule of India. Although Gandhi did not want others to follow him – he did state that he stood for eternal truths that all men could follow. He was and is an inspiration to many – including Martin Luther King Jr. • Gandhi Newsreel

17. Rachel Carson • 1907-1964 writer, scientist and ecologist. Carson is one of the first to bring attention to the dangers of chemicals and pesticides used in society. Carson’s book Silent Spring is a classic environmental text.

18. Martin Luther King Jr. • 1929-1968 is best known for his advancement of civil rights within America through nonviolent civil disobedience. King focused on racial inequality – as we all know. He also focused on solving issues related to poverty and the Vietnam war. • King on nonviolent protest

19. John Lennon • 1940-1980 he was able to redefine the role of a rockstar. Not only was Lennon a member of The Beatles – a band who changed the face of music – he was an icon of a developing counterculture. His call for idealism and a conscience of social and humanitarian crisis was a new identity for someone of his stature. • Imagine

20. Steve Jobs • 1955-2011 changed the way we think of technology and communication. Where would communication, computer technology and business style be without his innovations? 1984 Apple advertisement

21. Who is missing? • Who would you add to this list? • Would you remove anyone from this list? • Who are your top 10 Free Thinkers of all time?