Freethought

An epistemological viewpoint known as freethought (also spelled free thought) maintains that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, but rather that beliefs should be reached through other methods such as logic, reason, and empirical observation. Freethought is sometimes spelled as "free thought." A freethinker is "a person who creates their own thoughts and beliefs rather than adopting those of other people, particularly in religious instruction," as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary. There is a significant connection between free thinking and the rejection of more established social or religious belief systems, particularly in certain current schools of thought. The cognitive practise of free thought is referred to as "freethinking," and those who engage in free thought are referred to as "freethinkers." Freethinkers in the modern day believe that free thinking refers to a natural freedom from any detrimental and delusional notions that are gained through society.

People who delved into the foundation of conventional ideas, which were often accepted without question, were the first to be referred to using this phrase, which first appeared in usage in the 17th century. Today, deism, secularism, humanism, anti-clericalism, and religious criticism are the philosophical schools that are most closely associated with freethinking. Freethinking is defined as "the free exercise of reason in matters of religious belief, unrestrained by deference to authority; the adoption of the principles of a free-thinker" by the Oxford English Dictionary. Freethinking can also be understood as "the adoption of the principles of a free-thinker." Freethinkers are those who believe that the foundation of knowledge should be facts, the investigation of scientific questions, and reasoning. The use of scepticism in science necessitates liberation from the intellectually restricting effects of confirmation bias, cognitive bias, conventional wisdom, popular culture, urban myth, prejudice, and sectarianism.