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Contrary to what I see said on here all the time, independent beliefs doesn't necessarily mean fringe liberalism. People who believe and vote how their professors tell them are no different than those who believe and vote how their pastors tell them. Independent thinking is about making up your own mind about the issues.
Contrary to what I see said on here all the time, independent beliefs doesn't necessarily mean fringe liberalism. People who believe and vote how their professors tell them are no different than those who believe and vote how their pastors tell them. Independent thinking is about making up your own mind about the issues.
LOL, "free thinking" is merely a label for a rigid and unyielding set of hard left ideas. My experience with free thinkers is that if you disagree with them they label you a "fascist." Isn't that ironic, don't you think?
LOL, "free thinking" is merely a label for a rigid and unyielding set of hard left ideas. My experience with free thinkers is that if you disagree with them they label you a "fascist." Isn't that ironic, don't you think?
I think it's a little bit of a blanket statement to be honest. there are plenty of "free thinkers" that don't care much for either side.
And the left isn't the only one with rigid and unyielding beliefs, both parties get the nomination for that one
LOL, "free thinking" is merely a label for a rigid and unyielding set of hard left ideas. My experience with free thinkers is that if you disagree with them they label you a "fascist." Isn't that ironic, don't you think?
Is it that? or do hard leftists lie and say they are free thinkers. Seems to me that if someone was really free in their thoughts that they might think before slapping a label on someone... But lots of that kind of stuff gets lost in the anger that goes with heated arguments. Hard to say what might have provoked a person to call someone a fascist.. When I get pissed I usually call 'em an ass hole, **** for brains, or something along those lines. Call a guy a fascist and you're libel to get a fat lip or a black eye!
I think being open minded is not about what you believe.. its how you believe it.
I dont like labels either.. but for the sake of where my political views are.. I'm generally pretty left.. BUT I consider myself open minded because while I believe what I do.. I am open to the possibility of being wrong... it is my belief that open mindedness is a thought PROCESS.. not a style of thought...
We have to make personal stands somewhere.. and calling that act closed minded is absurd...
what is closed minded though is.. sticking to a particular stance.. out of ignorance and in the face of logical reasoning...
Right on the money, BG. I consider myself a free-thinker, being fiscally conservative but socially liberal. At times I might seem hard-headed but unless presented with substantiated clear contradictory evidence, I will stick with my convictions. I've spent years developing my ideals and only solid conflicting evidence could possibly change them.
LOL, "free thinking" is merely a label for a rigid and unyielding set of hard left ideas. My experience with free thinkers is that if you disagree with them they label you a "fascist." Isn't that ironic, don't you think?
Don't fool yourself ... there's rigidity on both ends of the spectrum. The hard left pats itself on the back for being open-minded and tolerant, and they'll happiy accept you as long as you're "open-minded" in exactly the same way they are. Otherwise, yeah, you're a right-wing, woman-hating Nazi.
But you have to be blind to not see the same thing happening on the right. Just look around this forum. Someone who so much as criticizes a single conservative POV or a Republican candidate is immediately branded a liberal, a socialist, or a communist ... or even worse, a terrorist sympathizer. And if you disagree with our current foreign policy, you hate America ... you might even hate freedom itself.
I make up my own mind on what I believe. I don't let partisan hacks spoon-feed me my beliefs. That's why some of my views are conservative-leaning and others are liberal-leaning. I arrived at my views on my own, after studying both sides of the issue. But if someone can persuade me why his or her view is better, I'm happy to re-evaluate my opinions. THAT is being open-minded, as far as I'm concerned.
Right on the money, BG. I consider myself a free-thinker, being fiscally conservative but socially liberal. At times I might seem hard-headed but unless presented with substantiated clear contradictory evidence, I will stick with my convictions. I've spent years developing my ideals and only solid conflicting evidence could possibly change them.
After many years of experience and much thought I have concluded that individual freedom is best served by a socialized economy.
For example a person driven by their own creativity to compose poetry or create post industrial sculpture could do so in a "welfare" state because their art would not have to be profitable and therefore would be justified by its very existence. On the other hand a person driven to accumulate as much wealth as possible would still be able to do so but the job would just be more difficult. In either case “Happiness” would be maximized. The poor artist would not have to face starvation and the wealthy entrepreneur would still have a fortune.
My thinking does not conform to the ideology of either party.
Free thinking? I just get up each day and read the Daily Worker...or at least, so some of these right-wing loopies would have it. Open your minds, people. Some of you are just way overbought into the idea of ideological brand-loyalty. Good ideas can come from all over. Left, right, up, down...it doesn't matter. If it works, do it -- don't ask who thought it up. At its practical level, the real world is apolitical. Try to take advantage of that fact...
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But if someone can persuade me why his or her view is better, I'm happy to re-evaluate my opinions. THAT is being open-minded, as far as I'm concerned.
