"Life As A Freethinker"

Dear Readers: We sent the following questions to Mr. Richard Bozarth and these are his replies:

How do you define Freethought?

Freethought is the repudiation of all coercion of authority or tradition in philosophy, theology, and ideology. It is the commitment to the theory that the power of cultural institutions can be morally exercised only when that power is limited by guaranteed and protected civil liberties possessed equally by all citizens.

I know this definition does not have much resemblance to the definition found in dictionaries. However, like any other authority, a dictionary is right only when it is right. I also know that other Freethinkers apparently accept the definition as right (for example, The Secular Humanist Press, published by the Humanists of Washington, routinely defines a Freethinker as a person who rejects authority and dogma, forming opinions about religion on the basis of reason and rational inquiry independently of tradition, authority, or established belief ).

If the dictionary definition is right, then Freethought is no more than an unruly genre of theology and its existence is dependent on the existence of religionism because religionism is the subject addressed by Freethought. I repudiate that, because Freethought is not about religionism. It did not begin as a genre of theology and it does not continue today as a genre of theology. If some day every single human being on Earth is a Natural Atheist and religionism has become an historical artifact like the Roman Empire, I say that Freethought will not lose any of its cultural relevance and necessity.

Freethought is not about religionism. The two subjects of Freethought are intellectual liberation and civil liberties. The theory of Freethought addresses the means for pursuing intellectual excellence and the means for establishing and maintaining a moral culture. Freethought does not ignore religionism. When it deals with religionism, it is analyzing how religionism influences the pursuit of intellectual excellence and how religionism in the form of cultural institutions influences the morality of a culture.

A person also cannot say that Freethought is dominated by thinking about religionism, which could be an interpretation of the dictionary definition, assuming some person would want to try to save this definition. Freethought is dominated by thinking about civil liberties, among which separation of state and church shares equal importance, and this means that government is the cultural institution that receives the overwhelming majority of attention in Freethought thinking. Religionism in the form of cultural institutions receives most of the attention Freethought gives to it in the context of determining what relationship between state and church will most likely produce a moral culture.

The origin of the dictionary definition is understandable. When Freethought emerged as a cultural force after the revival of secular civilization during the Renaissance, religionism and the government were essentially identical. Western culture was theocratic. The church either ruled countries directly or formed theocratic partnerships with secular governments. Then the first problem for Freethought was separating state and church, and the solution was to discredit the moral authority and dogmatic truth religionism has always claimed for itself. Freethinkers in the beginning had no choice about having religionism dominate their thinking.

All Freethinkers know that there is still work to be done, because We The People do not study history and because the church has never ceased striving to be reunited with the state. Today, the primary problem facing Freethought is how to establish and maintain a moral government that is, one which guarantees and protects civil liberties for all the citizens it serves. To achieve a moral government would be to eliminate the threat of state and church becoming reunited, because civil liberties are impossible in a theocracy or a theocratic partnership between state and church.

How do you as a Freethinker determine your morals?

The possible answers are three: "Yes," "No," and "Maybe, Depending On The Circumstances." "Yes" and "No" are easy to deal with. "Maybe, Depending On The Circumstances" is what makes life interesting.

Does Freethought affect your sense of purpose?

To be an organized Freethinker is to be part of the Freethought Movement, which has the purpose of creating a moral culture that guarantees and protects the civil liberties of all the citizens within it. This does give me a sense of purpose, but it does not outweigh other elements of my life that provide me a sense of purpose, such as my writing and my marriage.

How does Freethought affect your close relationships?

My close relationships have become restricted to Freethinkers, and this applies to my family as well. I cannot feel close to non-Freethinkers even if genetically related to them. I can get along amiably with them if they are willing to be amiable with me, but closeness is out of the question.

Do you try to change others to your point of view?

Of course. What is important is that I allow others to change my point of view if they can produce convincing evidence that demonstrates I am wrong or at least less right than I had thought I was. This is the only effective means of pursuing intellectual excellence, which, after all, is one of activities that flourishes best under the influence of Freethought.

Do you consider common sense as a close ally?

Common sense, if used prudently, pragmatically, and in conjunction with doubt, is certainly useful. However, before anything is considered common sense, there should be convincing evidence that it is worthy of being common sense. So much of what is called common sense is actually unthinking and lazy submission to tradition.

Do you have favorite Freethought writers?

Friedrich Nietzsche, Joseph McCabe, Bertrand Russell, George Smith, and Barbara Dority.

How do you know you're right?

Actually, what I strive for are degrees of probable certainty. How high the degree of probable certainty I assign to any of my conclusions is based on the mass of convincing evidence supporting the conclusion. The greater the mass of supporting evidence, the higher the degree of probable certainty. Evidence is acquired by the pursuit of intellectual excellence which in turn should improve the ability to correctly interpret the evidence.

I know I have attained a high degree of probable certainty (confidence) when those who disagree with me cannot produce evidence that makes me skeptical about my degree of probable certainty. Examples of extremely high levels of confidence are Natural Atheism and evolution.

Is there a specific incident in your life where being a Freethinker was a major benefit?

If I had not been a Freethinker, I would not have met my wife. If I had not been a Freethinker, I would not now have Barbara Dority and Jim Rybock as friends. If I had not been a Freethinker, I would not have written The Means and End of Freethought, A Case Against Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Interrelated Essays on an Experience, and No Time to Wallow in the Mire.