I propose a bigger tent, not surrendering the atheist tent, but to make it but one wing of a larger movement: Universal Freethought. Universal Freethought is being radically smart. Its being smart enough to make art or music, smart enough to be well read. Smart enough to have a body of intellectual work under your belt, even if that work is online or self-published. The world is dominated by the stupidity of people’s psychological inertia, largely shaped by commercial marketing. People who are smart enough to think and think hard need to have a common cause.
Universal Freethought is the values of the academy carried beyond the ivory tower and into the general public dialogue. In fact, in many cases intellectuals owe the success of their discoveries as Universal Freethinkers shape these ideas into something that is attractive for a larger audience, who is busy living life and does not have reading the dry academic text of your field anywhere on their “to do” list.
I want all my friends to consider popularizing this concept with me, fanning the flames gently until it roars into a full blown meme. I sincerely hope that this idea does not fall by the wayside in my thoughts.
I care about society, and the tolerance of large populations in academic ignorance is a threat to our advancement.
A Universal Freethinker does not believe that they are intellectually superior by DNA or luck of birth. The Universal Freethinker is a radical educator. Dedicated to manifesting a powerful community of humanity where people actually realize their potential and contribute to the greater good as much as they are capable when they can realize their greatest good.
I have not found any other movement with the exact same aim of Universal Freethought except for the academy, but the effects of the academy are deeply limited by the lack of economic justice in our present civilization.
If you are reading this you are already a Universal Freethinker, more than likely. So what are you going to do about it?
