Freethinker FAQ
What is a Freethinker?
free-think-er n. a person who thinks freely or independently : one who forms opinions on the basis of reason independently of authority; especially : one who rejects or is skeptical of religious dogma – Merriam-Webster
Is Freethinking a recent phenomenon?
Not at all. People from throughout history — many of whom are renowned for their wisdom, intelligence, and impact — were freethinkers.
| Some Famous Freethinkers | ||
|---|---|---|
| George Washington | Mark Twain | Albert Einstein |
| John Adams | Charles Darwin | Charles Dickens |
| John Quincy Adams | Thomas Edison | Bertrand Russell |
| Thomas Paine | Sigmund Freud | Katherine Hepburn |
| Thomas Jefferson | Abraham Lincoln | Carl Sagan |
| Benjamin Franklin | James Madison | Steve Allen |
| Madalyn Murray O'Hair | Ayn Rand | Robert Ingersoll |
| Voltairine de Cleyre | Michael Bakunin | Lysander Spooner |
| Bill Hicks | George Carlin | Doug Stanhope |
Do you have an official position on political issues?
No, Freethinkers do not have a particular political stance. However, since freethinkers question authority, many of them tend to be libertarian, or at least skeptical of the claims and alleged authority of rulers. Also, the issues that freethinkers are interested in involve science, so there is a tendency for freethinkers to have a preference for political positions that have a good foundation in science over political positions that try to stifle, distort or censor good science, in favor of religion. Most freethinkers oppose efforts by some to have government endorse or subsidize religion. It is also a safe bet that many have concerns about Lysenkoism, government politization (and weaponization) of science.
Politically, most freethinkers tend to be either
- secular humanist aka utilitarian statist, or
- libertarian or anarchist - favoring voluntary society over compulsory government.
"Anarchy ... is the only logical outcome of freethought - the ripened fruit of which freethinking is the potent seed." – Voltairine de Cleyre
