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What is a Free Thinker? Does non free thinkers exist anyway to have such a lable as Free Thinker??
- Thread starter Smart_Guy
- Start date
Skwim
Veteran Member
free-think-er n. A person who forms opinions about religion on the basis of reason, independently of tradition, authority, or established belief. Freethinkers include atheists, agnostics and rationalists.
source
Freethinker: one who forms opinions on the basis of reason independently of authority; especially : one who doubts or denies religious dogma
Source:Merriam-Webster Dictionary
.
source
Freethinker: one who forms opinions on the basis of reason independently of authority; especially : one who doubts or denies religious dogma
Source:Merriam-Webster Dictionary
.
I am not a free thinker. I don't believe in free will so i am not "free" to exchange one idea for another based purely on reason. I accept materialism essentially as a dogma upon which most of my other beliefs rely on.
Free thought is an invention of european philosophy, probably the 17th/18th century. It is a derivation of earlier Christian theology in which man- made in the image of god- possesses free will and is based on philosophical dualism of mind and body, the soul and the material and in which the individual is "free" to interpret Christian theology upon the basis of "reason" and not the authority of scripture. If there is no god- man cannot immitate god in having a soul or "free will".
In order for thought to be "free" in the metaphysical sense it must not be constrained by physical limitations such as our material interests, our emotions (in opposition to a "pure reason") as well as not being constrained by the physical processes of the brain and development of neurological connections. Think of it as if people's ideas evolve as neurons connect and there is "resistence" to new information because thinking is a physical process involving the brain- not a "pure" one existing in an abstract realm of pure thought or sensation. I have the power to change my ideas- but it has physical limitations. Its not eqivilent to a metaphysical conception of "freedom".
If you don't believe in a soul and therefore do not treat the mind as something seperate or independent from matter, thought is determined- not free.
The belief in Free thought and reason are secular hangovers of religious dogmas.
Down with Reason!
निताइ dasa
Nitai's servant's servant
Lol
Either all humans are free thinkers (in that they assess the environment and form beliefs accordingly ) or none are (we are all bound by our environment, hence our thinking is restricted). It depends on how you would define as "free"
Doesn't every single human being form opinions about everything on the basis of their own reason? Do humans truly independent of tradition, authority, or established belief even exist? How's free thinking, as words with their meanings, related to denial of religious dogma, and don't all religious people do that already with other religions? As for the English part, is it Freethinker (one word) or Free Thinker (two words), or both are there?
I'm not debating the above, I just want to know your views on them. Thank you for sharing.
Deathbydefault
Apistevist Asexual Atheist
To think without restraints, that's my basic idea of a freethinker (...).
I can think of 12 people I know, all related, who hit "god did it" in their thoughts and don't bother with alternative possibilities.
Free thinking (at least by my understanding) does not relate in any way to so-called "free will".
It is just a traditional name for the atitude of refusing to lend significance to dogma and irrational tradition.
So no, unfortunately not everyone is a free thinker. If only!
It is just a traditional name for the atitude of refusing to lend significance to dogma and irrational tradition.
So no, unfortunately not everyone is a free thinker. If only!
Yes, I don't disagree on that.
Why wasn't that name invented to have words actually related to that then? They do not have any relationship with that definition. And who, in your opinion, decides if a tradition is irrational or not?
Based on the above traditional name?
I don't see how the words are not proper. Free thinking is a very good name to the attitude of not bowing to dogma and to fear of being perceived as a non-conformist.
Or to put it from the opposite perspective, dogma and to some extent tradition are the enemies of free thinking.
Rationality must arise from questioning and contrasting expectations with facts.
Yes.
Cool!
I still don't see any relation here. It could be so if it is "free acting" tho.
But thank you for sharing your views (what the thread is for in this section).
On second thought, I think I failed to notice an importante fator at first.
Yes, free thinking does and will happen pretty much everywhere. But it will far more often than not be curbed very soon, presumably for the good of wider society (despite being actually very necessary in any society).
In a significant sense, the merits of free thinking are not so much in the people themselves as in the society that learns to pay attention to it and embrace it.
Yes, free thinking does and will happen pretty much everywhere. But it will far more often than not be curbed very soon, presumably for the good of wider society (despite being actually very necessary in any society).
In a significant sense, the merits of free thinking are not so much in the people themselves as in the society that learns to pay attention to it and embrace it.
Augustus
…
It's been used for 300+ years so the social conditions when it first emerged were significantly different from today. For me it is a bit archaic now and serves little purpose.
People today who self-identify (specifically) as Free Thinkers tend to be a bit smug and under the impression that they arrive at their beliefs a lot more rationally than is actually the case (ditto 'rationalist').
Kuzcotopia
If you can read this, you are as lucky as I am.
That could be.
I like to define it as a state of being that comes as close as possible to either rejecting (or at least looking objectively at) the specific cultural norms you were born to. This would include social norms, political dogma, and religious beliefs.
I think it takes a certain kind of personality to be a freethinker. For instance, while I consider myself and atheist and a skeptic, I am not a true freethinker as I have defined it. I am not nearly that much of an isolated outsider.
Ana.J
Active Member
I would not be so sure that most people now are free thinkers. If you look at our media, you will see that we are told what we should think and there is a minority of those who dare to build their own judgements.
Kilgore Trout
Misanthropic Humanist
Not in my experience.
Oops, sorry. Drunk human beings don't
Thief
Rogue Theologian
oh my......someone got his cherries picked!
Thief
Rogue Theologian
so who....or what....made you vote for Hillary?I am not a free thinker. I don't believe in free will so i am not "free" to exchange one idea for another based purely on reason. I accept materialism essentially as a dogma upon which most of my other beliefs rely on.
Free thought is an invention of european philosophy, probably the 17th/18th century. It is a derivation of earlier Christian theology in which man- made in the image of god- possesses free will and is based on philosophical dualism of mind and body, the soul and the material and in which the individual is "free" to interpret Christian theology upon the basis of "reason" and not the authority of scripture. If there is no god- man cannot immitate god in having a soul or "free will".
In order for thought to be "free" in the metaphysical sense it must not be constrained by physical limitations such as our material interests, our emotions (in opposition to a "pure reason") as well as not being constrained by the physical processes of the brain and development of neurological connections. Think of it as if people's ideas evolve as neurons connect and there is "resistence" to new information because thinking is a physical process involving the brain- not a "pure" one existing in an abstract realm of pure thought or sensation. I have the power to change my ideas- but it has physical limitations. Its not eqivilent to a metaphysical conception of "freedom".
If you don't believe in a soul and therefore do not treat the mind as something seperate or independent from matter, thought is determined- not free.
The belief in Free thought and reason are secular hangovers of religious dogmas.
Down with Reason!
and if that 'force' is prevalent.....how is the act of voting even a possibility?