I asked this question on EL&U

http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/40085/english-term-for-pre-thinker

got some good answers, but tend to accept [this answer][1], as IMHO *Visionary* doesnt really match *Vordenker* ("Wer Visionen hat, sollte zum Arzt gehen" Helmut Schmidt), *Mastermind* is imho much weaker than *Vordenker*. Maybe i explained *Vordenker* not well enough, but this is hard as the meaning in English seems not to exist according to Wikipedia results. Its often used in a biographical & historical context and user phenry seems spot on here, it simply doesnt exist in English.

Im asking here, because i want a feedback, how above terms in the title are understood actually by most germans. Are they basically synonyms? Whats next to *Vordenker*? What are the nuances between my current favorites *Pionier* and *Vorreiter* esp. when judging the historical influence and importance of a single person in retrospect?

You can give a own english translation of *Vordenker* as a side node or better just vote the available on ELU, but thats not the question here. **Answers in English please and vote for best synonym.**


  [1]: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/40085/english-term-for-pre-thinker/40092#40092