For those who consider themselves "free thinkers" what makes you feel that your thinking is free as opposed to others?
I'm big on scepticism and athiesim but I cannot bring myself to accept the label of free thinker because I don't view my thinking as any different from anyone else. My thoughts are different sure but everyone is free to think how they choose...
Unless you get onto the topic of free will and then you might have to consider yourself even less of a free thinker than theists because most theists believe in free will whereas the lack thereof is a popular concept among atheists. I'm not saying that just believing in free will makes it true, I'm simply pointing out the difference in how atheists and theists view the subject.
I don't know, the label just seems a bit ostentatious IMHO...
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Thinking is an art how you mind perceive what to do next.Do you have control over your mind or does the mind have control over you. Thats the question you need to ask is it free from others attributes or is it contaiminated with others attributes
Rosh
Level 7
Apr 19, 2018
1
Many atheist proponents believe that the mind controls what you think instead of you being in control of your own thoughts.
Some might try and separate free will from free thought but I'd make the argument that they are synonymous.
There was a YouTube video about free will and it showed examples of brain tumors in individuals having a direct impact on their behavior and once removed, the negative behaviors subsided until the tumor returned. They also discuss the levels of free will such as something like a brain tumor being level 5, drug addiction level 4, etc. Even hunger has an effect. It's pretty interesting stuff.
Its about the way you define free thinking. For me it is the ability to not have your thoughts dictated to you based on fallacies of logic. Free thinking for me is not when someone thinks whatever they want without looking at any data/evidence (look at flat earthers or moon landing deniers), this for me is what I call 'free from thinking'. In fact, I would say that when you are asked about a subject you don't know much about, a real free thinker would say 'I am not aware of enough evidence to understand what is true'.
Free thinking, rational thinking and criticall thinking all go hand in hand for me
RobH86
Level 7
Apr 19, 2018
3
I never thought of it that way before so thanks for the option to think about it. I think there are some of us that were never in any convention long enough to be subscribers/brought into a fold /whatever....
And undoubtedly some people are original thinkers because we can see that new ideals ideas and things are coming into being all the time-
I have a personal story about my grandfather who was the Technician at the fuel research station in greenwich when the atom was split for the first time.
He also invented the first gas poker - so 'new' is always with us and someone is thinking how to make things happen - (not me) but people with imagination do come up with ideas and try to put them inot practise.
jacpod
Level 8
Apr 19, 2018
2
I think you make a good point. We could easily be lured into a sense of superiority by labelling ourselves as "free thinkers." From a skeptical viewpoint, the only way to be certain that we are thinking freely is to challenge ourselves. If we get too comfortable or too confident with ourselves, we could easily slip into a dogma that might prevent us from thinking freely.
captainphilbo
Level 5
Apr 19, 2018
4
My thoughts exactly.
It's just a label, with a specific meaning, to help keep things straight... just like any other word.
Of course, many words mean many different things to many different people, but that's what keeps things interesting.
You can be as pedantic about it as you want, but someone will eventually come along and burst your bubble.
hellskitchman
Level 4
Apr 19, 2018
3
Maybe we are just regular Homosapiens, doing the best we can to understand the environment we live in.. I don't subscribe to the notion of "free will".. I agree with Sam Harris's views on the topic of free will. Maybe we just do what we do, and maybe try to make things better... kind of like "try to leave things better than when you had them".
SG1life2live
Level 5
Apr 19, 2018
2
Free thinking pertains only to those who do not follow blindly like sheep. It is true, everyone can think what they wish, but a true freethinker limits his/ her beliefs to beliefs based upon good evidence, and in the light of new evidence will alter or reject their beliefs accordingly.
Cgosling
Level 4
Apr 19, 2018
2
Free thinking to me is what happens when one completely discards everything they were taught about god and how to think, and dusts off their critical thinking skills and uses them freely to figure out their own value system--without the oppression of thoughts of judgment here or in the "afterlife".
Celestia
Level 5
Apr 19, 2018
2
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