The matter on which I judge people is their willingness, or ability, to handle contradiction. Thus Paine was better than Burke when it came to the principle of the French revolution, but Burke did and said magnificent things when it came to Ireland, India and America. One of them was in some ways a revolutionary conservative and the other was a conservative revolutionary. It's important to try and contain multitudes. One of my influences was Dr Israel Shahak, a tremendously brave Israeli humanist who had no faith in collectivist change but took a Spinozist line on the importance of individuals. Gore Vidal's admirers, of whom I used to be one and to some extent remain one, hardly notice that his essential critique of America is based on Lindbergh and 'America First'—the most conservative position available. The only real radicalism in our time will come as it always has—from people who insist on thinking for themselves and who reject party-mindedness.
Christopher HitchensTag: politics united-states individualism humanism revolution ireland influence conservatism contradiction israel free-thought india radicalism thomas-paine french-revolution collectivism gore-vidal partisanship america-first-committee charles-lindbergh edmund-burke israel-shahak spinozism
The only real radicalism in our time will come as it always has—from people who insist on thinking for themselves and who reject party-mindedness.
Christopher HitchensTag: politics independence free-thought radicalism partisanship
The problem with the evangelical homeschool movement was not their desire to educate their children at home, or in private religious schools, but the evangelical impulse to "protect" children from ideas that might lead them to "question" and to keep them cloistered in what amounted to a series of one-family gated communities.
Frank SchaefferTag: free-thought religious-right critical-thinking homeschool controlling-parents evangelical
A truly free man is not free 'from' anything, nor free 'to' anything, he is just free. Free within himself.
Ilyas KassamTag: man freedom self free-thought oneness
You don't understand, you fool' says Yegor, looking dreamily up at the sky. 'You've never understood what kind of person I am, nor will you in a million years... You just think I'm a mad person who has thrown his life away... Once the free spirit has taken hold of a man, there's no way of getting it out of him.
Anton ChekhovTag: dreams madness free-thought free-spirit
It is not insult from another that causes you pain. It is the part of your mind that agrees with the insult. Agree only with the truth about you, and you are free.
Alan CohenTag: truth pain insult free-thought
Words to intrigue, inspire, examine, question, praise;
Words to help us appreciate our world, our selves, our games;
Words to dance our true soul fires gracefully free.
Tag: words dance soul grace free freedom-of-speech true question freedom-of-expression free-thought appreciate true-to-yourself words-to-inspire-you true-self true-beauty gracefully questions-in-life gracefulness
Never try to discourage thinking, for you are sure to succeed.
Bertrand RussellTag: thinking liberalism free-thought suppression discouragement
It is clear that thought is not free if the profession of certain opinions makes it impossible to earn a living. It is clear also that thought is not free if all the arguments on one side of a controversy are perpetually presented as attractively as possible, while the arguments on the other side can only be discovered by diligent search.
Bertrand RussellTag: rationality beliefs freedom-of-expression free-thought
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