i am pretty interested in the philosophical debate. i will admit in the grand scheme of things i am ignorant on the subject. As are most of us. but i keep seeing the term "Free Thinker" |
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i am pretty interested in the philosophical debate. i will admit in the grand scheme of things i am ignorant on the subject. As are most of us. but i keep seeing the term "Free Thinker" |
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"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."
-oscar wilde
Well are you talking about religion or just in general, thinking? I believe that "free thinking" of any kind is EXTREMELY rare. Every person who lives in any kind of society is directly and indirectly effected by it. No one can formulate their own thoughts on their own. Every though is influenced by someone else, or by society in some way. |
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My music - www.soundcloud.com/jaredemmanuel
[QUOTE=Rainman;500347] Every person who lives in any kind of society is directly and indirectly effected by it. |
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"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."
-oscar wilde
True. However if used relatively, yes there are free thinkers. I mean nobody is 100% above any influence but there are those who are think progressively...the relatively free thinkers. |
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" A freethinker is a person who forms his or her own opinions about religion independent of tradition, authority, or established belief" |
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If it was ANY sort of a proper test, it would be "do you think life after death exists? A) Yes, certainly B) Likely C) Unlikely D) No, certainly not. |
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“What a peculiar privilege has this little agitation of the brain which we call 'thought'” -Hume
"A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world."
-oscar wilde
there is a level of free-thinking that one has. But since everything is starting to get more structured in terms of society, things like education can sometimes force things upon people. |
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Your god IS a deity by every definition of Deity. It doesn't matter or it's a man-in-the-sky or something other. A Christian god always has a certain personality or way of acting that makes it fit in the category if 'deity'. |
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“What a peculiar privilege has this little agitation of the brain which we call 'thought'” -Hume
In my opinion, free thinking involves exploring multiple sources and avenues to find if you arrive at the same conclusion; or rather, allowing yourself to arrive at a conclusion alone without simply being lead there. Yes we are all influenced by society, and no one can truly come to any conclusion solely on their own but the ability to ask why something is and to search for a satisfying answer is what makes a free thinker in my mind. If you can honestly say that everything you believe makes sense to you and you can explain why then you are a free thinker. If you realize that there are things you believe that when broken down actually don't make sense, then you are not. |
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Personally, I don't believe its possible to be Christian and consider yourself a free thinker for one simple reason. Without the bible there is no way to arrive at the conclusion of Christianity, and therefore your pattern of thinking is defined by a single book. There is nothing free about the concept of defining your entire world view around one single source of (outdated) information. |
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Ignorant bliss is an oxymoron; but so is miserable truth.
Hmmm. I would have to disagree with you here. And many statements in this thread. I for one, have read the bible (along with many other things) and I have had experiences. |
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Last edited by jaasum; 08-22-2007 at 01:36 AM.
If we take the position that freethought is possible then: |
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Last edited by RooJ; 08-22-2007 at 04:30 AM.
How can you say you have found the truth if you only explore limited options? |
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You claim that religious people can still think free. I disagree. They can still think free, from there. That doesn't change that they are not absolute free thinkers, since they accepted religion/god as an absolute truth. It doesn't matter that outside of that belief system you think free, once you say "god certainly exists" or "the bible is absolutely true", you are not a free thinker. |
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“What a peculiar privilege has this little agitation of the brain which we call 'thought'” -Hume
I am a free thinker in that I am truly trying to understand the human conscious. |
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