Blawg: right to think

The right to think doesn’t seem like it would need to have such a title—thinking’s something everyone does, right? But thinking, as I understand it in this context, is more than merely the biological function of the brain, more than electrical impulses and synapses*. It’s thinking for yourself as an independent individual, forming your own opinions and making your own choices and judgments, as well as voicing them if you choose to. And this unwritten right gives you the freedom to do so. It sounds so simplistic, even unnecessary. But I think it's one of the most important rights there are. Your thoughts are yours, yours alone and precious because of that. Christina said she didn't see how someone could take away your right to think. And it seems like that, since your thoughts are private. What I think of is Orwell's 1984. The majority of the people in Winston's society don't think--or their thinking filled with nonsense off the telescreen shows and just a reflection of the government's lies. The goverment has manipulated the people into this state of meaningless "function" thinking, using propaganda and force until it's just the way of life.

Shivani posed a question earlier that I found pretty thought-provoking: how much of our thinking is shaped by those around us? It’s hard to take an objective stance on this, since thinking is something most of us do automatically and often on a subconscious level. Being influenced by those around you isn’t exactly something you can prevent, unless you live under a rock your entire life. I think being aware of why you do or think something and making your decisions consciously is very important.

Palcheck brought up something related that made me wonder whether imposing your beliefs on anyone is right--or even justifiable, really, since Drummond already covered that “Right has no meaning—Truth does!” Everyone, regardless of how strongly they hold their own opinions, should try to be open-minded. Stubbornly insisting that you alone are right is arrogant and narrow-minded; Brady at the witness stand after Drummond’s questioning wasn’t a very impressive spectacle. Be willing to question and to be questioned. Consider that there may be more than one “right” answer—or none at all; that it’s up to each person to decide what’s right for themselves. Reason; don’t demand to be blindly followed. The only character I really despised in the play was Reverend Brown—he used the townspeople’s ignorance and general conformity to preach his own skewed sort of Christianity. I can’t give the people much credit, though, because it seems like they blindly followed his teaching and accepted his fundamentalist views. People should be free to have their own opinions, and those around them should accept their right to do so…

…within reasonable limit, which I don’t pretend to be able to judge objectively. Lizzy mentioned the Florida preacher who threatened to burn Qur’ans. I don’t think this was right (or very smart), but I guess people could argue that he was just exercising his freedom of speech and voicing his opinion. It isn’t very black-and-white, this right to think business.

*Mea culpa. Please look beyond that dreadful description--I just meant to differentiate between thought as biological process that just happens and true thinking when you form opinions, etc. Throwing “synapses” in there…yeah, it doesn’t help much.