Rachel Maddow
In a culture of TV and "news" watching, Rachel Maddow far surpasses her colleagues with insightful reporting and interviews. She is at the forefront of today's media which on the whole is terribly biased and money driven. She lends credibility to her work by resourcing her information and if incorrect, acknowledging the error(s). She is a brave thinker because she doesn't cowtow to the establishment. She needs to be acknowledged for her quality work.
--Nominated by Chris Symonds
James Der Derian
Research professor James Der Derian is the Director of Global Security at Brown University's Watson Institute for International Studies. He seeks to integrate theory and policy to analyze the most pressing threats and significant vulnerabilities of global security, with the supremely brave goal of preventing violence, mitigating war and imagining peace. He is author most recently of Virtuous War: Mapping the Military-Industrial Media Entertainment Network and has produced three film documentaries: Virtual Y2K, After 9/11 and Cultural Warriors.
--Nominated by Jennifer Leonard
Hazel Henderson
Hazel Henderson, founder of Ethical Markets Media, is an evolutionary economist based in Florida. She's also a prolific author, an independent futurist, worldwide syndicated columnist, advocate for and consultant on equitable ecologically sustainable human development and social responsible business and investment. In all, she steadfastly celebrates cultural and biodiversity--and a new earth ethics beyond economism.
--Nominated by Jennifer Leonard
Jaime Lerner
Jaime Lerner, architect and former mayor of
Curitiba, Brazil, has revolutionized mass transit design in the context
of urban renewal. He has blended his own brand of brave thinking with
architectural expertise and a playful sense of humor in the
transformation of his home town, which is now a global model to which
other cities continually refer. He's a big proponent of the "city as
solution," living where you work/working where you live, starting immediately (regardless of city scale or financial resources), moving fast, and
multi-modal connectivity--such that no mode competes with another. He
also suggests finding creative ways of driving less, comparing one's
car to one's mother-in-law: "You have to have a good relationship with
her but she can't command your life!"
--Nominated by Jennifer Leonard
John Todd
Inventor and eco-pioneer John Todd has been turning waste-water sites into botanical paradises since 1989. His design and construction of ecological wastewater treatment systems--or "eco-machines," as he calls them--have powerfully transformed public and commercial spaces in 11 countries on five continents, removing chemicals, petroleum hydrocarbons, endocrine disruptors and other detrimental water pollutants. He is a model of commitment to remediating impaired natural water bodies and soils around the world. A true design hero and brave planetary thinker.
--Nominated by Jennifer Leonard
Richard Dawkins
Whether you agree with him or not, he is making everyone think about their deepest beliefs, spurring debate, and instituting change in our most steadfast institutions. He has introduced scientific reasoning to religion, thinking the former will beat-out the latter.
--Nominated by Martin Brooks
Paul Farmer
With his colleagues at Partners In Health, Paul has managed to bring together a small team of extraordinarily dedicated people that has created a health-care movement where it was most needed and least expected: among the poorest people in some of the poorest countries in the world, people suffering from major infectious diseases such as HIV and multi-drug-resistant TB. Along the way, PIH has created job opportunities for thousands of community health workers and improved living conditions for the villages and shantytowns surrounding their clinics. This took donations of money from individuals and foundations and of know-how from universities--but most of all, it took courage and stubbornness and quick wits. And Paul isn't finished yet.
--Nominated by Haun Saussy
Lester Brown
He--among some other brave, brilliant thinkers--is a global visionary thinker who perceives the intertwining of human economy and ecological catastrophes (climate change, overpopulation relative to resources, resource depletion--including deforestation, peak oil, declines in potable water, loss of biodiversity and natural habitats with increasing rates of species extinctions--etc.,) that humans are generating around the planet. As the founder of the Worldwatch Institute and the Earth Policy Institute, and a world wide consultant, he is an influential global thinker who should be heeded if humanity is going to save itself.
--Nominated by Jay Smith
Ken Wilber
I was disappointed when I opened my mailbox today to see that the 'Brave Thinkers' had no Philosophy and Religion category. For this I nominate Ken Wilber: Philosopher. I do not personally know Ken Wilber, although I may have been graced by his wisdom via a couple of Kevin Bacon degrees. Ken Wilber is a current American philosopher of Integral Theory. At a time in which we have at our finger tips the knowledge of the world Ken Wilber has bravely dedicated his life to the work of developing an integral model of 'everything'. Think Again.
--Nominated by Jason Evans
Dr. Richard Lindzen
Richard Lindzen is one of the few independent thinkers in the Global Warming debate (if you can call it that). Similar to the way Dr. Jefferson is treated as a pariah in infectious disease circles for his unconventional theories on vacines, Dr. Lindzen analyzes the current data on climate change and finds it wanting. Studies are flawed, input data on the current models is corrupted or missing and far too few variables are considered when climate models are created. Dr. Lindzen believes the sun has far more to do with our climate than the current scientific community will admit and that the oceans which cover the majority of our planet affect the climate much more than co2 which represents .000385 of our atmosphere of which humans contribute a small minority.
--Nominated by David Gresh
Karl Denniger
For posting daily insights and calls to action on the financial crisis since 2007.
--Nominated by Matthew Pekar
Brewster Kahle
Brewster Kahle is the founder and leader of the Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library whose mission is Universal Access to Knowledge. Brewster's initial vision was to archive the worldwide web so that its evolution and content would not be lost to future generations of scholars, historians and the public. He has archived over 150 billion web pages from around the world since 1996, all of which are publicly accessible for free at www.archive.org. His Wayback Machine, the interface that enables search and recovery of archived websites, has been used by patent reviewers, government agencies to retrieve lost information, and individuals worldwide. After taking on the web he began digitizing books for free public access and has been tremendously courageous in taking on copyright law and the proposed Google Book lawsuit settlement, playing David on the right side of the law to Google's Goliath as their actions threaten the future of libraries. The
Archive now has 1.7 million digital books available for free download, constituting the largest digital library in the world. All of the books are free of copyright restrictions. In one of many brave acts, Brewster engaged the ACLU in 2008 to help him challenge a National Security Letter and associated gag order that demanded information about one of the online patrons of the Internet Archive's digital library. Citing the protections of a library against violating the privacy of their patrons, he forced the FBI to withdraw the letter and rescind the gag order. He thus became
one of only 3 individuals or institutions to ever challenge the legality of NSLs which have been issued in the thousands every year since the Patriot Act was passed. Brewster continually shows audacity in his vision and the grit to take on and transform major cultural trends, and to surprise skeptics with his successes. His morality and intellectual courage are stunning to all who work with or come into contact with him.
--Nominated by Linda Frueh
Tim LaSalle
Tim LaSalle tirelessly travels the world championing a science-based hope for a regenerative food system that will mitigate climate change and prevent famine. His global experiences inform his urgent quest to stop climate change and conserve global water resources. His leadership in developing the science of storing carbon in agricultural soils has been acknowledged by leaders including philanthropist farmer Howard Buffet, Al Gore and National Wildlife Federation CEO Larry Schweiger. LaSalle combines scientific expertise with a brilliant ability to communicate and imagine a radically better future.
--Nominated by Eliav Bitan
Paul Volker
He is a sober minded financial thinker who should be listened to and learned from. We cannot sustain the deficits being projected because people will lose confidence in government as the dollar weakens.
--Nominated by John Sustek
Joseph Romm
I saw that Freeman Dyson was nominated and was a bit perturbed. I'm not sure how espousing "technology will save us" is considered new, groundbreaking or brave. As a matter of fact, it seems a cowardly way to avoid the challenging and daunting tasks that face us if we are to preserve a livable climate on this planet. With that in mind, I'd like to nominate Mr. Romm as a brave thinker. He is the mind behind Climateprogress.org and uses his endless intelligence and wit to skewer people just like Mr. Dyson. Mr. Romm takes no prisoners in his assault on the obfuscation of climate science by the media and scientists themselves. His sole unenviable charge is spreading the word that all is not well, but with the caveat that through hard work and rational approaches, we can avoid the worst. In a country where so many still don't believe in the science behind Anthropogenic Global Warming, despite the overwhelming evidence in the scientific literature, I think it is far more brave to take on the Oil, Coal and Misinformation industries that to appeal to the "Thank you for telling us we don't have anything to worry about" crowd.
--Nominated by James Flynn
David Gergen
David Gergen is able to backup his "brave thinking" with experience and intelligence. His opinion is rational, thoughtful and provocative without being confrontational. He is one of the few who is "respected by the respected."
--Nominated by Victor Kuo
Bill Drayton
Bill Drayton, a man that Bill Clinton has argued should be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, has revolutionized what it means to be a social entrepreneur. This man, before anybody else, saw the potential for strong-willed individuals--social entrepreneurs--to change the world, and before anybody else, took action to exponentially magnify the impact that these individuals could have on the world. This man is not only an extremely brave thinker, but has also proved himself to be an extremely brave man of action.
--Nominated by Kentaro Watari
Wes Jackson
Because of the ideas expressed in his book: "Becoming Native to This Place."
--Nominated by Mike Shields
Kern Delince
For risking his life and the lives of his loved ones to do what he thought was morally right: attempt to overthrow the heinous Haitian Dictator Francois (Papa Doc) Duvalier in 1963.
--Nominated by Karen Delince
Ta-Nehisi Coates
His blog is simply one of the best, Andrew Sullivan's being the other. I get my Mad Men and football opines out there, before proceeding to dissect the comedians, politicos, hacks,racists, fools, and myriad detractors of the world.
--Nominated by B.G. Rhule
Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky has been one of the most brave thinkers of the 20th century for several decades. He has not only had breakthroughs in a technical field but he has also written extensively on social issues. He is the epitome of a brave thinker.
--Nominated by Gabriel Garcia
Marissa Louie
Marissa is an example of true leadership for her peer group. She aims not to just lead, but to influence others through positive change. Marissa Louie has stood up for the underpriveleged of the world not by working for a nonprofit, but by embarking on her entrepreneurial career as a technology CEO for AD-Village. She has influenced thousands with her Capitalist Philanthropist ideal, where she is working towards her goal of giving $1 billion to nonprofits and charities through her work as a technology CEO. At AD-Village, she has worked on partnerships with the California Employment Development Department (EDD), The Salvation Army, and other nonprofits so that those in need can benefit from her business. While helming AD-Village, she grew it from two employees to over 18 in the span of one year, and successfully led it towards profitability in its third month of operation. She serves on the Advisory Board for The Salvation Army Golden State Division, the Citizens Advisory Committee for the San Francisco Transportation Authority, was a recipient of the 2009 40 Under 40 Award by the New Leaders Council (NLC), and has received official recognition from both the California State Senate and the California State Assembly for her leadership and commitment to progressive change while helming AD-Village. Marissa lost her younger sister, Lauren Louie, in a car accident in 2007 and has since dedicated her life to giving back. Marissa is the author of the BusinessWeek column "Young Female Entrepreneur" where she provides advice to fellow entrepreneurs and communicates with female mentorees. She is an inaugural member of Dot2Dot, a group of 35 young leaders under 35 which aims to promote world causes for the younger generation and instill a sense of responsibility in its peer group. The advisory committee for Dot2Dot includes Russell Simmons, Petra Nemcova, Kerry Washington, and Marissa's fellow members include Barbara Bush, John Forte of The Fugees, and Suchin Pak of MTV.
--Nominated by Randall Louie
Victor Frank, Jr.
Because while much blame is put on private enterprise and the profit motive for contributing to some of the world's toughest problems, Vic thinks entrepreneurs and business leaders can be the key drivers in building trust and respect between the Muslim world and the West. Following a career in South and Southeast Asia in business and with the Asian Development Bank, at 80 years old, Vic has started an organization (Asian Programs Foundation) that calls on the private sector in Asia--where the overwhelming majority of the world's Muslims live--and in the U.S. to be outspoken advocates for pluralism and tolerance. When it comes to reaching out to the Muslim world, Vic advocates focusing on the world's largest Muslim countries: Indonesia, Pakistan and India.
--Nominated by Miles Hankin
