A line from "Clifford's Credo" by the 19th Century British mathematician and philosopher William Kingdon Clifford perhaps best describes the premise of freethought: "It is wrong always everywhere and for anyone to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." Symbol The pansy symbol of freethought.

The pansy is the long-established and enduring symbol of freethought its usage inaugurated in the literature of the American Secular Union in the late 1800s. The reasoning behind the pansy being the symbol of freethought lies in both the flower's name and appearance. The pansy derives its name from the French word pense which means "thought"; it was so named because the flower resembles a human face and in mid to late summer it nods forward as if deep in thought.4 History Pre-modern movement

In Buddhism a type of freethought was advocated by Gautama Buddha most notably in the Kalama Sutta:

"It is proper for you Kalamas the people of the village of Kesaputta to doubt to be uncertain; uncertainty has arisen in you about what is doubtful. Come Kalamas. Do not go upon what has been acquired by repeated hearing; nor upon tradition; nor upon rumor; nor upon what is in a scripture; nor upon surmise; nor upon an axiom; nor upon specious reasoning; nor upon a bias towards a notion that has been pondered over; nor upon another's seeming ability; nor upon the consideration 'The monk is our teacher.' Kalamas when you yourselves know: 'These things are bad; these things are blameable; these things are censured by the wise; undertaken and observed these things lead to harm and ill abandon them. "...Do not accept anything by mere tradition... Do not accept anything just because it accords with your scriptures... Do not accept anything merely because it agrees with your pre-conceived notions... But when you know for yourselvesthese things are moral these things are blameless these things are praised by the wise these things when performed and undertaken conduce to well-being and happinessthen do you live acting accordingly."

However Bhikkhu Bodhi (b. 1944 - ) argues against the idea that "the Buddha's teaching dispenses with faith and formulated doctrine and asks us to accept only what we can personally verify"5 saying this interpretation

forgets that the advice the Buddha gave the Kalamas was contingent upon the understanding that they were not yet prepared to place faith in him and his doctrine; it also forgets that the sutta omits for that very reason all mention of right view and of the entire perspective that opens up when right view is acquired. It offers instead the most reasonable counsel on wholesome living possible when the issue of ultimate beliefs has been put into brackets.

Bhikkhu Bodhi's interpretation is by no means universal to Buddhists or even to Theravada Buddhism the tradition in which he is ordained. For example Ven. Soma Thera a Theravada monk from Sri Lanka called the Kalama Sutta "The Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry".6 The web of transmissions and re-inventions of critical thought meanders from the Hellenistic Mediterranean through repositories of knowledge and wisdom in Ireland and the Iranian civilizations (e.g. Khayyam and his unorthodox sufi Rubaiyat poems) and in other civilizations as the Chinese (e.g. the seafaring Southern Sng's renaissance)7 and on through heretical thinkers of esoteric alchemy or astrology to the Renaissance and the Protestant Reformation. French physician and writer Rabelais celebrated "rabelaisian" freedom as well as good feasting and drinking (an expression and a symbol of freedom of the mind) in defiance of the hypocrisies of conformist orthodoxy in his utopian Thelema Abbey (from : free "will") the devise of which was Do What Thou Wilt: "So had Gargantua established it. In all their rule and strictest tie of their order there was but this one clause to be observed Do What Thou Wilt; because free people ... act virtuously and avoid vice. They call this honor." When the hero of his book Pantagruel journeys to the "Oracle of The Div(in)e Bottle" he learns the lesson of life in one simple word: "Trinch!" Drink! Enjoy the simple life learn wisdom and knowledge as a free human. Beyond puns irony and satire Gargantua's prologue metaphor instructs the reader to "break the bone and suck out the substance-full marrow" ("la substantifique molle") the core of wisdom. Modern movements The year 1600 is considered the beginning of the era of modern freethought as it is marked by the execution in Italy of Giordano Bruno a former Dominican Monk by the Inquisition.8 England and France The term free-thinker emerged toward the end of the 17th century in England to describe those who stood in opposition to the institution of the Church and of literal belief in the Bible. The beliefs of these individuals were centered on the concept that people could understand the world through consideration of nature. Such positions were formally documented for the first time in 1697 by William Molyneux in a widely publicized letter to John Locke and more extensively in 1713 when Anthony Collins wrote his Discourse of Free-Thinking which gained substantial popularity. In France the concept first appeared in publication in 1765 when Denis Diderot Jean le Rond d'Alembert and Voltaire included an article on Libre-Penseur in their Encyclopdie. The European freethought concepts spread so widely that even places as remote as the Jotunheimen in Norway had well-known freethinkers such as Jo Gjende by the 19th century. The Freethinker magazine was first published in Britain in 1881. Germany In Germany during the period (18151848) and before the March Revolution the resistance of citizens against the dogma of the church increased. In 1844 under the influence of Johannes Ronge and Robert Blum belief in the rights of man tolerance among men and humanism grew and by 1859 they had established the Bund Freireligiser Gemeinden Deutschlands (Union of Secular Communities in Germany). This union still exists today and is included as a member in the umbrella organization of free humanists. In 1881 in Frankfurt am Main Ludwig Bchner established Deutschen Freidenkerbund (German Freethinkers League) as the first German organization for atheists. In 1892 the Freidenker-Gesellschaft and in 1906 the Deutscher Monistenbund were formed.9 Freethought organizations developed "Jugendweihe" secular "confirmation" ceremonies and atheist funeral rites.910 The Union of Freethinkers for Cremation was founded in 1905 and the Central Union of German Proletariat Freethinker in 1908. The two groups merged in 1927 becoming the German Freethinking Association in 1930.11 More "bourgeois" organizations declined after World War I and "proletarian" Freethought groups proliferated becoming an organization of socialist parties.912 European socialist free-thought groups formed the International of Proletarian Freethinkers (IPF) in 1925.13 Activists agitated for Germans to disaffiliate from the Church and for secularization of elementary schools; between 191921 and 193032 more than 2.5 million Germans for the most part supporters of the Social Democratic and Communist parties gave up church membership.14 Conflict developed between radical forces including the Soviet League of the Militant Godless and Social Democratic forces in Western Europe led by Theodor Hartwig and Max Sievers.13 In 1930 the Soviet and allied delegations following a walk-out took over the IPF and excluded the former leaders.13 Following Hitler's rise to power in 1933 most freethought organizations were banned though some right-wing groups that worked with Volkisch associations were tolerated by the Nazis until the mid 1930s.912 Belgium Main article: Organized secularism The Universit Libre de Bruxelles and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel along with the two Circles of Free Inquiry (Dutch and French speaking) defend the freedom of critical thought lay philosophy and ethics while rejecting the argument of authority. Netherlands In the Netherlands freethought has existed in organized form since the establishment of De Dageraad (now known as de Vrije Gedachte) in 1856. Among its most notable subscribing 19th century individuals were Johannes van Vloten Multatuli Adriaan Gerhard and Domela Nieuwenhuis. In 2009 Frans van Dongen established the Atheist-Secular Party which takes a considerably restrictive view of religion and public religious expressions. United States Driven by the revolutions of 1848 in the German states the 19th century saw an immigration of German freethinkers and anti-clericalists to the United States (see Forty-Eighters). In the U.S. they hoped to be able to live by their principles without interference from government and church authorities.15 Many Freethinkers settled in German immigrant strongholds including St. Louis Indianapolis Wisconsin and Texas15 where they founded the town of Comfort Texas as well as others. These groups of German Freethinkers referred to their organizations as Freie Gemeinden or "free congregations."15 The first Freie Gemeinde was established in St. Louis in 1850.16 Others followed in Pennsylvania California Washington D.C. New York Illinois Wisconsin Texas and other states.1516 Freethinkers tended to be liberal espousing ideals such as racial social and sexual equality and the abolition of slavery.15 Freethought in the United States began to decline in the late nineteenth century. Its anti-religious views alienated would-be sympathizers. The movement also lacked cohesive goals or beliefs. By the early twentieth century most Freethought congregations had disbanded or joined other mainstream churches. The longest continuously operating Freethought congregation in America is the Free Congregation of Sauk County Wisconsin which was founded in 1852 and is still active today. It affiliated with the American Unitarian Association (now the Unitarian Universalist Association) in 1955.17 German Freethinker settlements were located in: Burlington Racine County Wisconsin15 Belleville St. Clair County Illinois Castell Llano County Texas Comfort Kendall County Texas Fond du Lac Fond du Lac County Wisconsin15 Frelsburg Colorado County Texas Hermann Gasconade County Missouri Jefferson Jefferson County Wisconsin15 Indianapolis Indiana18 Latium Washington County Texas Manitowoc Manitowoc County Wisconsin15 Meyersville DeWitt County Texas Milwaukee Wisconsin15 Millheim Austin County Texas Oshkosh Winnebago County Wisconsin15 Ratcliffe DeWitt County Texas Sauk City Sauk County Wisconsin1517 Shelby Austin County Texas Sisterdale Kendall County Texas St. Louis Missouri Tusculum Kendall County Texas Two Rivers Manitowoc County Wisconsin15 Watertown Dodge County Wisconsin15 Canada This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2011) The earliest known secular organization in English Canada is the Toronto Freethought Association founded in 1873 by a handful of secularists. Reorganized in 1877 and again in 1881 when it was renamed the Toronto Secular Society the group formed the nucleus of the Canadian Secular Union established in 1884 to bring together freethinkers from across the country. A significant number of the early members appear to have been drawn from the educated labour aristocracy including Alfred F. Jury J. Ick Evans and J. I. Livingstone all of whom were leading labour activists and secularists. The second president of the Toronto association was T. Phillips Thompson a central figure in the citys labour and social reform movements during the 1880s and 1890s and arguably Canadas foremost late nineteenth-century labour intellectual. By the early 1880s freethought organizations were scattered throughout southern Ontario and parts of Quebec and elicited both urban and rural support. The principal organ of the freethought movement in Canada was Secular Thought (Toronto 18871911). Founded and edited by English freethinker Charles Watts (18351906) during its first several years the editorship was assumed by Toronto printer and publisher James Spencer Ellis in 1891 when Watts returned to England. In 1968 the Humanist Association of Canada was formed to serve as an umbrella group for Humanists atheists freethinkers and to champion social justice issues and oppose religious influence on public policy -- most notably in the fight to make access to abortion free and legal in Canada. HAC also known as Humanist Canada is an active voice for Humanism in Canada and supports the activities of groups who wish to raise awareness about secular issues. The Canadian Secular Alliance is an active community. See also Atheism portal Age of Reason Agnosticism Atheism Brights movement Camp Quest Conflict thesis Cynicism Deism Empiricism Ethical Culture The Enlightenment Fellowship of Reason Freethought Association of Canada Freedom from Religion Foundation Freedom of thought The Freethinker Freethought Day The Godless Americans PAC Golden Age of Freethought Humanism Infidel Internet Infidels Irreligion Nontheism Occam's Razor Philosophical theism Positivism Rationalism Religious skepticism Scientism Secular humanism Secularism Spiritual But Not Religious References http://www.k-state.edu/freethought/ http://www.ffrf.org/nontracts/freethinker.php Hastings James. Encyclopedia of Religion A Pansy For Your Thoughts by Annie Laurie Gaylor Freethought Today June/July 1997 Bhikkhu Bodhi (2009). "A Look at the Kalama Sutta". Access to Insight. Retrieved 2009-12-14. Soma Thera (1994). "Kalama Sutta: The Buddha's Charter of Free Inquiry". Access to Insight. Retrieved 2010-12-11 Chinese History Song Dynasty (www.chinaknowledge.de) 1 a b c d Bock Heike (2006). "Secularization of the modern conduct of life Reflections on the religiousness of early modern Europe". In Hanne May. Religiositt in der skularisierten Welt. VS Verlag fnr Sozialw. pp. 157. ISBN 3-8100-4039-8.  Reese Dagmar (2006). Growing up female in Nazi Germany. Ann Arbor Mich: University of Michigan Press. p. 160. ISBN 0-472-06938-1. http://books.google.com/booksid5qA4My-C2nkC&pgPA160.  Reinhalter Helmut (1999). "Freethinkers". In Bromiley Geoffrey William; Fahlbusch Erwin. The encyclopedia of Christianity. Grand Rapids MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 90-04-11695-8.  a b Kaiser Jochen-Christoph (2003). Christel Grtner. ed. Atheismus und religise Indifferenz. Organisierter Atheismus. VS Verlag. ISBN 9783810036391. http://books.google.com/booksidYXOr4xQFSJsC&pgPA124.  a b c Peris Daniel (1998). Storming the heavens: the Soviet League of the Militant Godless. Ithaca N.Y: Cornell University Press. pp. 11011. ISBN 0-8014-3485-8. http://books.google.ca/booksidnC2LSv5QNYkC&pgPA110.  Lamberti Marjorie (2004). Politics Of Education: Teachers and School Reform in Weimar Germany (Monographs in German History). Providence: Berghahn Books. pp. 185. ISBN 1-57181-299-7. http://books.google.ca/booksidjbmwM4wsMKEC&pgPA185.  a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Freethinkers in Wisconsin". Dictionary of Wisconsin History. 2008. http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/dictionary/index.aspactionview&termid11488&termtypeid1&termtypetextPeople&letterF. Retrieved 2008-07-27.  a b Demerath N. J. III and Victor Thiessen "On Spitting Against the Wind: Organizational Precariousness and American Irreligion" The American Journal of Sociology 71: 6 (May 1966) 674687. a b "History of the Free Congregation of Sauk County: The "Freethinkers" Story". Free Congregation of Sauk County. April 2009. http://www.freecongregation.org/history/freethinkers-story/. Retrieved 2010-03-19.  "The Turners Forty-eighters and Freethinkers". Freedom from Religion Foundation. July 2002. http://ffrf.org/fttoday/2002/junejuly02/gascho.php. Retrieved 2008-07-27.  Humanist Canada Further reading Jacoby Susan (2004). Freethinkers: a history of American secularism. New York: Metropolitan Books. ISBN 0-8050-7442-2 Royle Edward (1974). Victorian Infidels: the origins of the British Secularist Movement 17911866. Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-0557-4 Royle Edward (1980). Radicals Secularists and Republicans: popular freethought in Britain 18661915. Manchester: Manchester University Press. ISBN 0-7190-0783-6 Tribe David (1967). 100 Years of Freethought. London: Elek Books. 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