Freethought has the objective of trying to form one's opinions independently of or unrestricted by tradition, authority, established belief, preconception, prejudice or any agenda that might compromise the free exercise of thought. It is pertinent both to religious and to non-religious beliefs, though there is controversy as to what "religious" means. In modern America the meaning of religion encompasses not only the values and ethics in which someone lives their life, but also implies the belief in a supernatural power. The true definition therefore is just the values and methods of living one's life, and says nothing at all about the belief or disbelief in higher powers.
Freethought has at times been construed as opposition to organized religion, especially those that possess beliefs in supernatural beings. Freethought is itself concerned with values and ethics and so is after a logical understanding of the same manner of principles and beliefs that a religion affords. At times Freethought is portrayed as nihilistic or "thinking whatever you want," but in the quest for an understanding of reality, the first step is often rebellion against established principles. Thought is, by definition, a system of rules applied to facts. It is this which gives structure and coherence to the religions stance of Freethinking.
Freethinkers
(should be part of Freethinking?)
Freethinkers strive to form their opinions on the basis of facts and reason. An idealized statement of this attitude is "Clifford's Credo," an aphorism of the 19th Century British mathematician and philosopher William Kingdon Clifford who wrote in his "Ethics of Belief" that "It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." Because so many popular beliefs are based on tradition or authority, freethinkers' opinions are often at odds with established dogmatic, political, social, intellectual or religious views.
Given present known facts, well-established scientific theories, and logical principles, Freethinkers hold that there is insufficient evidence to support the existence of such supernatural entities and phenomena as ghosts, gods, angels, devils, leprechauns, reincarnation, heaven, hell, and so on. There are, of course, some who insist that one can believe in such things and still be a freethinker.
Freethought and religion
In Western society, where Christianity is the dominant religious tradition, Freethought by definition involves a rejection of these established principles. Where other dogmas or doctrines are prevalent, those who dissent from them on the basis of facts and rational analysis also exhibit the principles of freethought. This will apply regardless of what the prevailing or approved doctrine might be, whether religious or not. Freethinkers neither accept nor reject ideas proposed as truth without recourse to facts and reason. A rejection of any ideas, religious or otherwise, on the basis of prejudice and dogmatic attitudes is inconsistent with the commonly stated principles of Freethinking -- though it occurs nonetheless, as Freethinkers are subject to human pride and fallacy as are other people. Freethinkers who strive to follow the discipline of the Scientific method can reduce the errors they make but no human can avoid error.
Related Concepts
There are ties between freethought and atheism, agnosticism, deism, heresy, skepticism (scepticism), Universism and both humanism and secular humanism. But none of these terms are synonymous with one another as they refer to ideas that may or may not be connected with ultimate concerns and may or may not place the strongest emphasis on evidence and reason.
Necessity of Faith?
Freethought can be viewed as varying in its quality and strength. Believers in any supernaturalistic religious tradition, for example, may suppose that they hold their faith on the basis of facts and reason. They may even fail to realize that faith would then not be necessary. Nevertheless, they may be willing to question or even to reject the religious teachings which they had previously accepted and this stance is certainly in line with that of Freethought. Similarly, Deists claim that they can know that a deity exists through rational argument which demands the existence of a first cause. This may appear to be consistent with Freethought but for the fact that Deism is essentially an untestable and unfalsifiable claim about objective reality and this is precisely the sort of claim that is rejected by Freethinkers.
This needs discussing as it is as impossible to disprove the existence of a first cause as it is to prove it. Thus this line needs editing as it portrays a bias.
- kiwimac
"Clifford's Credo" and the writings of many freethinkers indicate that thought concerning ultimate concerns need not be rooted in theological doctrines and dogmas and yet can have moral foundations as strong as those to be found in religious traditions that do rely on theological teachings.
Some freethinkers hold that freethinking may be considered a religion itself, or at least as a form of religious philosophy, since it offers alternative analyses of and conclusions about religious questions which do not include supernaturalism. In 1994, this idea was acted on in the founding of the Church of Freethought, which now exists as two active congregations of freethinkers: the North Texas Church of Freethought and the Houston Church of Freethought. In 2003, freethinkers who extended their skepticism to their own views, and were willing to embrace uncertainty, began a faithless religious movement called Universism.
History
The 19th Century saw immigration of German atheists to the United States. They appear to be the first to refer to themselves as Freethinkers. Many of them settled in Texas, founding the town of Comfort, Texas, as well as others. Their settlements had no church buildings, and these newcomers were persecuted and sometimes killed for their opposition to the institution of slavery. The Freethinker magazine was first published in Britain in 1881.
Bibliography
- Jacoby, Susan (2004). Freethinkers: a history of American secularism. New York: Metropolitan Books. ISBN 0805074422
- Royle, Edward (1974). Victorian Infidels: the origins of the British Secularist Movement, 1791-1866. Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 0719005574 Online version
- Royle, Edward (1980). Radicals, Secularists and Republicans: popular freethought in Britain, 1866-1915. Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 0719007836
- Tribe, David (1967). 100 Years of Freethought. London: Elek Books.
See also
External links and references
