Extralogical Reasoning: Freethinking in an Unthinking World
It's not easy being a freethinker in an unthinking world. While they may take great pride in being so, no true free thinker would view it as an unequivocally "good" thing. If one's imagination isn't confined to how things are or how people tell them that it is and extends well into what could or should be, this adds variables to an already highly complex puzzle. Sadly, help is few and far between: Few recognize the complexity of the puzzle, even fewer the additional variables. A belief is a component of a model of reality, and everyone needs definite (even if dynamic) models to function. To one degree or another, everyone thinks about their beliefs. This process is never entirely successful, nor entirely unsuccessful. Freethinkers are the precious few who appreciate that a consensus in opinion can’t determine fact and resist adopting beliefs they don’t sufficiently understand--including their own. To understand something or solve a problem, one must answer a ...