Characterized by or promoting the use of reason and logic to form beliefs independently, especially in rejecting traditional or religious orthodoxy.
Present participle of 'freethink' used as an adjective; emerged in the 17th century as the Enlightenment gained momentum. Describes both the activity of independent reasoning and the progressive ideology based on it.
During the Victorian era, being labeled 'freethinking' could damage your social reputation despite (or because of) the logic of your arguments—it shows how threatening intellectual independence was to established institutions.
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