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Freethinkers
Compiled by Jim Walker
- freethinker n. One who has rejected authority and
dogma, especially in his religious thinking, in favor of rational
inquiry and speculation.- -The American Heritage Dictionary
I use the term "freethinker" not as a universal
noun or label but as a description of a person who freethinks
at some time in their life. Thus, even a diehard religionist
can ‘lapse’ into a state of freethinking for a brief but wonderful
period in their existence. And can a person "be" a
freethinker while asleep? Freethinkers utilize freethought while
thinking (when else?) but at other times they may simply enjoy
the sensations of life without thinking at all.I dedicated this web site to the following freethinkers, which
represent my favorites (during their periods of freethinking).
I did not intend to list all the great freethinkers, so please
don’t write me why I didn’t include Voltaire or Ayn Rand (you
might find your favorites in the links to other famous freethinkers, at
the bottom of this page).All of the following freethinkers have come to some notoriety
because they rejected a dangerous commonly held belief (or several
of them) in favor of rational thinking.Disclaimer:
None of the following living freethinkers has any association
with this web site, nor do they even have an acknowledged awareness
of it.
- Thomas Paine, political writer (1737-1809):
This remarkable political philosopher and
freethinker influenced the Founding Fathers of the American Revolution
and the French Revolution. Paine condemned the practice of slavery
in his "African Slavery in America" and published his most
famous work, "Common
Sense" in 1776 just six months before the issuance of the
Declaration of Independence. He also wrote "Rights
of Man," "Age
of Reason," and "The
American Crisis."Read Common Sense, Age of Reason, and The
American Crisis on the internet at: http://libertyonline.hypermall.com/Paine/Default.htm
- Thomas Jefferson, scientist, statesman, and 3rd President
of the U.S. (1743-1826):
American revolutionary leader, scientist,
skeptic, political philosopher, and third president of the United
States. The freethinker Jefferson expressed exponents of the
Enlightenment that emphasized human reason, science, and education.
He established the University of Virginia and authored the Declaration
of Independence, and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom.Recommended books:
Thomas
Jefferson Writings, Merrill D. Peterson, Ed.Letters from Thomas Jefferson
Thomas
Jefferson’s Freethought Legacy: A Saying Per Day by the Sage of
MonticelloA collection of quotes from Jefferson which establishes beyond
dispute his enormous contributions to rationalism, freethought
and science.
- Robert Green Ingersoll, agnostic writer and thinker
(1833-1899):
American lawyer, freethinker and
orator, known as the Great Agnostic because of his antireligious
views. He wrote many antiorthodox lectures and his talks scandalized
the clergy.Recommended books:
Best
of Robert Ingersoll: Selections from His Writings and SpeechesIngersoll’s eloquent attacks against religious superstitions
and why they present a danger provide fuel and oxygen to reason.Reason,
Tolerance, and Christianity: The Ingersoll Debates (Freethought
Library)This book contains three spirited debates–"Rome of Reason,"
"Controversy on Christianity," and "The Limits
of Toleration"–between the great American freethinker Robert
G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) and leading Christian churchmen and
statesmen of his own day, including Cardinal Edward Manning and
William Gladstone.For more information about R. G. Ingersoll on the internet:
http://www.atheists.org/Atheism/roots/ingersoll/
Download the writings of Robert Ingersoll:
http://www.holysmoke.org/an/rgi.htm
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton, woman’s rights (1815-1902):
American social reformer who, along
with Susan B. Anthony, led the struggle for the rights of women.
She fought against slavery and helped form the National Woman’s
Loyal League in 1863. She opposed the Christian Church and the
Bible because she realized that it served as a stumbling block
in the way of woman’s emancipation.Recommended books:
Stanton looks at the Bible’s view of women and provides frightening
verses that have put women down for centuries.For more information on E.C. Stanton on the internet:
http://www.usa-people-search.com/content-elizabeth-cady-stanton.aspx
John E. Remsburg, historian and writer (1848-1919):
President of the American Secular
Union, an outstanding freethinker in the last quarter of the
19th century. He spoke on freethought, giving over 3000 lectures
in audiences over 1200 cities and towns in North America.Recommended books:
Remsburg exposes the alleged "evidence" of Jesus.
One of the first to publish a critique on the lack of physical
or eyewitness evidence to support a historical Jesus. A well
examined and researched book for its time from one of our most
honored freethinkers.Six Historic Americans
This book examines the lives of Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson,
George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, and Ulysses
Grant. He provides evidence for their infidelity to Christianity.
- Bertrand Russell, scientist and philosopher (1872-1970):
British philosopher, mathematician
and Nobel laureate, who emphasised logical thinking instead of
superstition. He realized that the Christian religion, as organized
in the churches, "has been and still is the principle enemy
of moral progress in the world."Recommended book:
Why
I Am Not a Christian, and Other Essays on Religion,Provides good arguments against Christianity and for a humanistic
approach to morality.
- Richard Feynman, physicist (1918-1988):
American physicist, Nobel laureate,
and great teacher. Feynman ceaselessly questioned scientific
"truths." He held many varied interests. His curiosity
moved well beyond science as he rejected superstition and dogma.Recommended books:
The
Character of Physical Law, by Richard FeynmanA delightful little book about the relationship of mathematics
to physics and the philosophy of science in general.Genius:
The Life and Science of Richard Feynman,
by James GleickThis biography of Feynman provides a wonderful look at his life
and shows his pragmatic and liberal attitude towards life.Video:
The
pleasure of finding things out [Video]A 40 min documentary and interview with Dr. Feynman.
- Isaac Asimov, scientist, writer, historian, and much
more (1920-1992)
The twentieth century’s most recognized one-man encyclopedist,
with 477 published titles by his own count. Asimov explored what
interested him: science, science fiction, the Bible, literature,
history, and human nature. One of the most influential science
fiction writers, he also wrote many science books which explained
complex physics with easy to understand terms. Asimov as a freethinker
also wrote a guide to the Bible, Old and New testaments. He illuminated
the events in historical terms, exposed the many problems with
the Bible and laid bare the supernatural claims.Recommended books:
Asimov’s
Guide to the Bible : The Old and New Testaments
- Asimov explains the historical background, religious motives,
and the evolution of the Bible, and examines selected chapters
and verses from the Bible.- For more information on Isaac Asimov on the internet:
- Isaac Asimov home page: http://www.asimovonline.com
- Carl Sagan, scientist and writer (1934-1996):
Sagan served as a professor of Astronomy
and Space Sciences and Director of the Laboratory for Planetary
Studies at Cornell University. A Pulitzer Prize winner, Dr. Sagan
received the highest award of the National Academy of Sciences.
He had the ability to convey the wonder, and excitement of scientific
discovery. His clear vision and honor to science has led him
to see the problems with irrationality and superstition.Recommended books:
Explains the method of scientific thought and cuts through
the prejudice and hysteria that pervades our culture.Shadows
of Forgotten Ancestors: a Search for Who We AreCo-authored with his wife, Ann Druyan, this is a well written
book on evolution and the similarities between humans and apes.
We are not different in kind, but only in degree.Billions
& Billions : Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the
MillenniumSagan’s last book explains what we know about science, mathematics,
and space as well as exploring common questions of everyday life.Pale
Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in SpaceA look at space exploration and how scientific discovery has
altered our perception.For more information on C. Sagan on the internet: http://www.fas.org/sagan.htm
- Stephen J. Gould, scientist and writer (1941-2002):
An evolutionary biologist, writer, humanist,
and freethinker, Gould provides an exceptional example of a scientist
and freethinker who had the ability to explain complex subjects and
to correct the misconceptions of history. Many of his books explain
the complexities of Darwinian evolution and why Creationism fails
as a science.Recommended books:
I
Have Landed: The End of a Beginning in Natural HistoryThe last book of the series from Natural History magazine,
and the last book of Gould’s life.Leonardo’s
Mountain of Clams and the Diet of WormsA collection of brilliant and thoughtful essays out of Natural
History magazine from one of the most prolific essayists in
America . Gould examines evolutionary dead ends in human intellectual
history and questions the human struggle to understand nature and
existence. (for a review, click here.)A look at the history and errors of classifying humans. It includes
craniometry, theories of IQ, and measurments of "race."Various essays on evolution, dinosaurs, art & science, probability
(also on baseball statistics. Gould is a New York Yankee fan), and
lots more. Brilliantly written and a good read.For more information on S. J. Gould on the internet, click here.
Robert Anton Wilson,
philosopher and writer (1931-2007):
Pop-philospher, freethinker, science fiction
writer, humorist, humanist, and perhaps the most sane person on earth.
Wilson’s entertaining writing makes the reader think. He doesn’t always
get the facts correct, perhaps by design, but this compels the reader
to check his sources and to think. He represents one of the
few human beings on earth who claims to own no beliefs. A former Playboy
editor, he has written over twenty books including: Quantum
Psychology, Cosmic
Trigger, Right
Where you are Sitting Now.For more information on R. A. Wilson
on the internet:http://rawilson.com/main.shtml
http://www.tcp.com/~prime8/raw/who.html#whois
Watch a video of R.A. Wilson explaining "The I in the Triangle"
(Part
1), (Part
2)
- Paul Kurtz, professor, writer , publisher, secular
humanist (1925-2012):
President of Prometheus Books, Professor
of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Buffalo, Editor-in-Chief
of Free
Inquiry magazine, editor of Skeptical
Inquirer magazine and Chairman of the Committee for the Scientific
Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP)
Paul Kurtz has, perhaps, done more through the publishing industry
to promote reason and science than anyone in the 20th century.Recommended books:
Challenges
to the Enlightenment: In Defense of Reason and ScienceA look at the Enlightenment movement from the 17th century
to today.The
Courage to Become : The Virtues of HumanismInstructions for a good and practical life without the need
for superstitious gods. A powerful defense of humanism.Building
a World Community: Humanism in the 21 CenturyKurtz supplies the mental tools needed to establish humanism
as a better approach for the ever changing future.
- Daniel C. Dennett, scientist and philosopher:
Computer scientist, philosopher, freethinker,
and writer, Dennett’s first book, Content
and Consciousness, appeared in 1969, followed by Brainstorms
(1978), Elbow
Room (1984), The
Intentional Stance (1987), Consciousness
Explained (1991), Darwin’s
Dangerous Idea (1995), Kinds
of Minds (1996), Brainchildren
(1996) and Freedom
Evolves (2003). He co-edited The
Mind’s I with Douglas Hofstadter in 1981. He has authored of over
a hundred scholarly articles on various aspects on the mind, published
in journals ranging from Artificial Intelligence and Behavioral and
Brain Sciences to Poetics Today and the Journal of Aesthetics and
Art Criticism.Recommended books:
Dennett explains the latest theories and explanations about
the brain and consciousness. A controversial book, but one that
breaks through the myths about consciousness.A brilliant discussion and explanation of Darwin’s famous
idea of biological evolution. He devastates the myths against
evolution.For more information on D.C. Dennett on the internet: http://www.tufts.edu/~ddennett/
Robert Wright interviews Dennett
- Richard Dawkins, scientist and writer:
Biological scientist, evolutionist,
freethinker and writer, Dawkins explains evolution in terms of
replicating information, that indeed, all living things give
example of vehicles of information. He explains the nature of
scientific reasoning and exposes the dangers of religious dogma.
A brilliant writer.Recommended books:
A fascinating book on self-replicating hereditary particles.
This book also introduced the idea of "memes," the
new replicators that live in minds, some of which act like mental
viruses (like faith religions).A sequel to The Selfish Gene, aimed primarily for professional
biologists, but written so clearly that virtually anyone can
understand it.In brilliant and lucid language, Dawkins devastates William
Paley’s argument for design (1802) and shows how biology evolves
without design. He includes how complexity such as eyes can evolve
from simpler systems.Dawkins presents the nature of scientific reasoning concerning
biology to the layman. He exposes why assumptions, origin myths
and traditions lead to falsehoods. With such a religious title,
this should attract the religious believer.Dawkins explains how probability controls biological evolution
through gradual steps. He reveals the glorious variety and underlying
unity of DNA based life on earth and how natural selection is
like artificial selection but without a chooser.An examination of science, mysticism, and human nature. Dawkins
shows why science provides a superior way of looking at the world
and gives us a feeling of wonder and the ability of understanding
nature that mysticism simply cannot provide.A unique sample of writings from 25 years of Dawkins publications.
It involves evolutionary biology, memes, humanity, and religion.
Dawkins attacks belief based on tradition, authority, and religion
and provides the mental tools to help combat this dangerous viral
meme of the mind.This 2006 bestselling non-fiction book discusses the problems with the God argument and that a belief in a personal god qualifies as a delusion. Dawkins covers the main philosophical arguments in favor of God’s existence and explains why they all fail.
For more information on R. Dawkins on the internet:
The Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science: http://richarddawkins.net/
The Root of All Evil?, The God Delusion, Part 1
The Root of All Evil?, The Virus of Faith, Part 2
Christopher Hitchens, journalist, author, literary critic
(1949-2011)
Hitchens career spanned more than four decades and has written for The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Slate, World Affairs, The Nation, Free Inquiry and many more publications. He identified himself as an anti-theist and followed the philosophical values of the Enlightenment. Recommended books:
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything: A Tour de Force against religion, especially the Alhambric religions. [Review]
The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Nonbeliever: Selected writings chosen by Hitchens for the skeptic and non-believer. [Review]
The Missionary Position: Mother Teresa in Theory and Practice: A frank exposure about Mother Teresa and the problems she caused.
Thomas Paine’s Rights of Man: Hitchens explores one of the most influential political books of the 18th century.
- James Randi, paranormal investigator, conjuror, and a breath of
rational fresh air:
An internationally known conjuror and investigator
of the paranormal and occult, Randi has exposed some of the greatest
swindlers and paranormal fakes in modern history. Randi not only has
steel bravery, but intelligence, compassion, wit, and a healthy sense
of humor. He has written numerous books including Flim-Flam!,
The
Truth About Uri Geller, An
Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural,
(also click here
for an online version) and has appeared on many television & radio
shows and gives lectures around the world.For more information about James Randi
on the internet:James Randi Educational Foundation (FREJ): http://www.randi.org/
(Read his weekly newsletter for interesting tidbits and information
on the latest frauds.)James Randi debunks Uri Geller and Peter Popoff (13 min, 50 sec)
James Randi debunks Uri Geller on the Tonight Show [video] (8 min, 2 sec)
James Randi debunks astrology [video] (1 min, 5 sec)
James Randi on Psychic Surgery [video] (2 man, 0 sec)
James Randi In Australia (Randi tests water diviners and dowsers)
(43 min, 3 sec)
List of other freethinkers:
A Biographical
Dictionary of Freethinkers: http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/joseph_mccabe/dictionary.htmlBlack Freethinkers in history: http://reginaldfinley.com/index.php/thoughts/11-thoughts/55-black-freethinkers
A large list of awesome female atheists: http://www.blaghag.com/2010/01/large-list-of-awesome-female-atheists.html
