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Famous Thinkers Essay There are many famous thinkers that have lived on this earth who have made significant changes to everyones lives. A couple famous thinkers stand out amongst them all. These two are Mr. Bill Gates and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Their contributions society have been great and were based off of their personal, social and political environments. They had both sought to solve problems or issues that people faced and they were able to provide solutions and implement them. The solutions they provided all followed a creative process, which will be compared to each other, and their ideas will be critiqued to discuss what they could have done differently. Contributions to Society Mr. Bill Gates and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. have both contributed to society in different ways. Bill Gates had gained immense wealth through the creation and sales of Microsoft Windows, and he is using this wealth for philanthropic reasons. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation contributes to societies throughout the world. Their contributions range from providing vaccines in Africa, to financial services for the poor in the United States. These contributions affect society as they provide better health by helping prevent illness and helping better the lives of those less fortunate. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lead the change in gaining equal civil rights for African Americans by using nonviolent civil disobedience. The Environment Mr Bill Gates and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived in different environments which attributed to their creativity in solving problems or issues. Bill Gates was raised in a financially responsible family, and attended a preparatory school which allowed him to focus on computer programming. This environment allowed Bill Gates to excel in what he loved and create the Microsoft organization. Bill Gates gained enormous wealth through his creation of Microsoft, which he now uses for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lived in a rough environment. He grew up where African Americans where considered a lesser person and were segregated because of their race. This eventually lead Martin Luther King Jr. to take lead in the civil rights movement, which brought him to direct the march on Washington, D.C and give his I Have a Dream speech. Solving Problems or Issues Mr. Bill Gates and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. both address issues in society. Bill Gates addresses issues across the world, where Martin Luther King Jr. addresses civil rights issues in the United States. Bill Gates, through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, currently aids in numerous issues throughout the world. Some of the more widely known issues are support for better education in the United States, and contributions to providing vaccinations in Africa. The issues that Bill Gates seeks to solve is poor education in the United States and to prevent disease and death in developing countries. Martin Luther King Jr. had addressed the civil rights issues to help gain equal rights for African Americans in the United States by use of nonviolent civil disobedience. Solutions The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation works through funding other non-profit organizations working towards the common goal of helping impoverished people, providing health services in developing countries, and helping better the education system in the United States. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a solution to bring the people together and spread the word of equal civil rights through speech, and motivation. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at several different venues through the United States prior to the I Have a Dream speech in Washington, D.C. At the I Have a Dream speech, over 250,000 people attended and marched, showing non-violent civil disobedience. (The Nobel Foundation, 1964). Comparing the Creative Processes Bill Gates creative process was very simple in the fact that he has money, and wants to do good with it. His process was to create the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, find non-profit organizations that share a common goal, support them financially and repeat the process. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had a more complex creative process, where he had to bring the African American people together and get the leaders of the United States to listen. Martin Luther King Jr. began by traveling the United States, speaking where civil rights of African Americans where being denied. Through his speeches and travel, he brought together the African American people and accomplished the goal of gaining equal civil rights (The Nobel Foundation, 1964). Critique of Ideas The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation can take an active role in their philanthropic ideals. The foundation currently supports other non-profit organizations that work toward the foundations goals. If Bill Gates could turn the foundation around and actively work towards their goals by doing something themselves, they may achieve greater success as other organization seeking support can follow their lead. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. should not have done anything different. His motives of showing the world that the African American people are humans too, and deserve equal civil rights was conducted in a non-violent manner and accomplished his goal to gain equal civil rights. Conclusion Mr. Bill Gates and Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. have provided great contributions to society across the world and in the United States. Their environments helped bring about this desire to contribute as they had both sought to solve problems or issues faced by society. The solutions they provided all followed a creative process, which Bill Gates could have done a better job at and Martin Luther King Jr. couldnt have done better. References Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/ King, M. L. (2003). I HAVE A DREAM. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/docview/394023549?accountid=35812. Ruggiero, V. R. (2009). The art of thinking: A guide to critical and creative thought (9th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson Longman. The Nobel Foundation. (1964). Martin Luther King Jr. Biographical. Retrieved from http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-bio.html