Definitions
•Freethought
- Freethought, as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary, is
"the free exercise of reason in matters of religious belief,
unrestrained by deference to authority." We extend this
definition by affirming that a freethinker is someone who aspires to
a life free of prejudice, dogma, irrational fear, lust for power,
submissiveness, and intentional ignorance—hallmarks of the R-complex,
the part of our brains we share with reptiles. As every person is
endowed with the capacity for reason, compassion, and reverence
(whatever the object)—hallmarks of the more advanced part of our
brains—the abolition of the aforementioned evils cannot but allow us
to more freely exercise those faculties which make us sapient beings,
thereby reaffirming our humanity. Though often associated with
freethought, metaphysical stances such as “atheist,” “agnostic,”
“deist,” and “pantheist” are devoid of ethical dimensions. Therefore,
one could subscribe to any of them without actually being a
freethinker, as freethought entails the support of universal freedom
of thought and the non-coerced arrival at personal beliefs through
reason and experience. One could have an atheistic perspective while
supporting the suppression of free inquiry; likewise one could arrive
at a deistic perspective through faith in the claims of another
person. In neither case would freethought be operative.
•Pantheism
- As stated in a Wikipedia article, "Pantheism (Greek:
πάν ( 'pan' ) = all and θεός (
'theos' ) = God) literally means 'God is All' and 'All is God.' It is
the view that everything is of an all-encompassing immanent God; or
that the universe, or nature, and God are equivalent. More detailed
definitions tend to emphasize the idea that natural law, existence,
and the universe (the sum total of all that is, was, and shall be) is
represented or personified in the theological principle of
'God.'"
•Deism - As stated in a Wikipedia article,
"Deists typically reject supernatural events (prophecy,
miracles) and divine revelation prominent in organized religion,
along with holy books and revealed religions that assert the
existence of such things. Instead, deists hold that religious beliefs
must be founded on human reason and observed features of the natural
world, and that these sources reveal the existence of one God or
supreme being."
•Philosophical
Skepticism - Philosophical skepticism is a school of thought
that examines the extent to which knowledge and perceptions can be
trusted, such that we could arrive at true knowledge. There are many
strands of skepticism. Global skeptics, for example, assert that
nothing can be known with certainty, including whether or not the
belief that nothing can be known to be true or false is itself true
or false.
•Atheism – Atheism is either the belief in
the nonexistence of all gods (strong atheism), or the lack of belief
in all gods (weak atheism). It is rare to find one who consistently
identifies as a strong atheist, because most atheists seem to realize
that negative existential claims can be problematic. Therefore, most
atheists ascribe to weak atheism. Among most theists, atheism is
erroneously taken to always mean “the belief that there are no gods.”
Some atheists, therefore, prefer to refer to themselves as
"nontheists.”
•Agnosticism - Agnosticism is the view that
the truth values of certain claims, particularly those regarding the
existence of deities, are either unknown or inherently unknowable.
The term "agnostic" is often used to describe one who is
unconvinced or noncommittal; this is where "weak atheism"
and "agnosticism" overlap. T.H. Huxley invented the word
"agnosticism" and "agnostic" in 1869, fusing the
Greek "a" (without) and "gnosis" (knowledge).
•Rational Mysticism - Rational mysticism is
mysticism which has been shorn of all “metaphysical baggage.” A practitioner
of rational mysticism is able to have the “all-is-one and one-is-all”
experience without forcing it into a metaphysical system. According
to Sam Harris,
…mysticism refers to any process of introspection
by which a person can come to realize that the feeling he calls “I”
is a cognitive illusion. The core truth of mysticism is this: It is
possible to experience the world without feeling like a separate
“self” in the usual sense. Such a change in the character of one's
experience need not become the basis for making unsupportable claims
about the nature of the universe, however.
•Humanism - According to the International
Humanist and Ethical Union,
Humanism is a democratic and ethical life stance,
which affirms that human beings have the right and responsibility to
give meaning and shape to their own lives. It stands for the building
of a more humane society through an ethics based on human and other
natural values in a spirit of reason and free enquiry through human
capabilities. It is not theistic, and it does not accept supernatural
views of reality.
Unlike most of the other stances described on this
page, Humanism is not merely a metaphysical stance, but an ideology.
Humanists reject totalitarianism and absolutism, and advocate
democracy (with rigorous checks on state power), separation of church
and state, and respect for human rights. Therefore, unlike most major
religions, the tenets of Humanism are in direct conflict with all
anti-liberal ideologies.
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