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Freethinkers
What is
freethought? And who qualifies as a
freethinker?
It’s easy to label people, although they may
not agree with the label that’s been chosen
for them. Here, in our occasional column on
Freethought,
Warren Allen Smith
shares a few examples of individuals in
Philosopedia who have been described by
various “freethinking” labels.
The
Oxford English Dictionary defines a
freethinker as:
n.
someone who rejects dogma or authority
The Freedom
from Religion Foundation defines
freethinkers as:
n.
people who form opinions about religion
on the basis of reason, independently of
tradition, authority, or established
belief. Freethinkers include nontheists,
rationalists, deists, and pantheists
Agnostics,
atheists, deists, freethinkers, humanities
humanists, humanists, naturalistic
humanists, humanistic naturalists,
naturalists, non-theists, pantheists,
pragmatists, rationalists, secular
humanists, Unitarians, universalists – all
various labels used to describe individuals
who appear in Philosopedia.
Thomas Henry Huxley
(b. 4 May 1825, d.
29 June 1895)
An English biologist and the principal
exponent in England of Darwin’s theory of
evolution, T H Huxley was called Darwin’s
bulldog. Huxley was not, like Darwin, from a
family of the monied middle classes. The
youngest son of an impecunious schoolmaster,
he was born over a butcher’s shop in Ealing
but became one of the people who had a
profound impact on 19th-century thought.
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Thomas H Huxley |
“Agnosticism,” he explained, “is not a creed
but a method, the essence of which lies in
the vigorous application of a single
principle … Positively, the principle may be
expressed as in matters of intellect, follow
your reason as far as it can take you
without other considerations. And
negatively, in matters of the intellect, do
not pretend conclusions are certain that are
not demonstrated or demonstrable.”
Arthur Charles Clarke
(b. 16 December 1917,
d. 18 March 2008)
A
member and active supporter of the Secular
Humanist Society of New York (SHSNY), Arthur
C Clarke was on record as being a
non-believer. He once wrote, “It may be that
our role on this planet is not to worship
God, but to create him.” In 2004, he told
Popular Science: “Religion is the most
malevolent of all mind viruses. We should
get rid of it as quick as we can.” On
religion and chastity, he wrote to a friend,
“Why should a vow of chastity be nobler than
a vow of constipation?”
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Arthur C Clarke |
Isadora Duncan
(b. 27 may 1878, d.
14 September 1927)
Isadora (originally Angela) Duncan was an
internationally known master of dance and
choreography.
Her mother, Dora Gray Duncan, was a pianist
and music teacher; and devout Catholic,
having been raised in an Irish Catholic
family. Dora lost her faith when her
marriage disintegrated. Faced with four
children to raise alone, “Her faith in the
Catholic religion revolted violently to
definite atheism, and she became a follower
of Bob Ingersoll, whose works she used to
read to us,” Isadora recalled in her
autobiography.
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Isadora Duncan |
When Isadora was five, her teacher told the
class Santa Claus had provided candies and
cakes as a special treat. When Isadora
solemnly challenged the assertion, she was
physically evicted from the class. She made
a little speech, which she called “the first
of my famous speeches”:
I don't believe lies!
Isadora’s mother comforted her by saying,
“There is no Santa Claus and there is no
God, only your own spirit to help you.” As
Isadora sat at her feet, her mother then
“read us the lectures of Bob Ingersoll.”
Mary Morain
(b. 1911, d. 14
June 1999)
In 1952, Mary Morain was on the first Board
of Directors of the International Humanist
and Ethical Union (IHEU). She is co-writer
of Humanism as the Next Step (1954),
and was on the editorial board of The
Humanist and the International Society
for General Semantics.
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Mary Morain |
Of philosophy, she wrote:
Humanism
is practical. It helps us to understand
complex situations, to solve problems,
and to make decisions. […] It teaches
that there is an intrinsic, inalienable
value in all human beings. […] It
teaches us to look for courage, for
comfort, to one another, our fellow
humans. […] A sense of belonging comes
to those who realize that we are in
every respect a part of nature – a
nature far larger, far older, than
ourselves.
In 1994, the
American Humanist Association (ASA) named
her and her husband, Lloyd Morain, Humanists
of the Year.
Further reading
You can read
more “Freethinkers”
articles in
Philosopedia. And this
“Freethought” article by
Dean
Braithwaite in
G&LH, December 2008.
Philosopedia
is an Internet resource with articles
on all kinds of people that readers of G&LH
might be interested in knowing more about.
The sci-fi author Arthur C Clarke once said
of it, “I didn’t know about the
Philosopedia, and have just taken a look
at it – a great idea!”
Warren Allen Smith – a writer, journalist and long-time G&LH
columnist – founded Philosopedia in
2000.
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