Throughout history, individuals are praised for how the human mind processes ideas, surroundings and information that contribute to society as a whole. One great thinker that comes to mind is Euclid. Euclid is believed to have been alive around 300 BC and he lived most of his life in Alexandria, Egypt. I chose him because as a thinker and a scholar, he developed many mathematical theories. Known as the "Father of Geometry," Euclid expanded on the practice of spaces and shapes making geometry easier to learn and teach by reading his books. He was the best candidate for a great thinker because he questioned everything around and made his own evaluations.
In class, we defined critical thinking as active thinking that is goal oriented, requires focus, involves particular processes (like breaking down), and is action oriented when done well. Euclid possessed all of these traits. He was an active thinker and analyzed everything for a goal: to better not only his understanding, but society's understanding of geometry. He was focus on geometry and was capable of writing his mathematical discoveries in Elements and Optiks, which also means he was action oriented since he put what he thought into words. This could not have been possible if Euclid did not look at geometry as different parts of math, so breaking down an element or idea is imperative. Therefore Euclid was a prime example of a great thinker since he was a focus thinker that left ideas of though that many continue to follow today.
