Are we 'free' to think? *Is freedom of expression possible without freedom of thought? *
The idea of freedom of thought and expression is as old as thinking itself. In contemporary age it is generally discussed under the shadow of democracy. This new version has two new features. First, the notions freedom of thought and freedom of expression are entwined conceptually. Secondly, it appears more as a struggle against others who hamper its exercise. The subject of the present article is to discuss these two points and suggest that to achieve freedom of thought, first we need to separate it from freedom of expression and work on it and secondly freedom of expression might be a fight against others but freedom of thought is an endeavour in one's own 'self'. Democracy treats freedom of expression and thought as a unified concept but in this unification the freedom of expression becomes prominent because the freedom of thought inheres in the freedom of expression. If one is free to express, one has already received the freedom of thought. But, in fact, thinking and its expression are two separate processes. One thinks and then expresses. The expression is only an exposure of something which has already been shaped by a mind. If that mind is not free, the freedom of expression loses all significance. Freedom of expression has its own importance but freedom of thought is the prerequisite. The question arises as to what is the freedom of thought. Our mind is our thinking machine. If one is 'thinking', one is thinking freely only; that is the general opinion. But the situation is not as simple. Our thinking has so many inner and outer influences that our thoughts emerge more as anticipated output of a complex system than free choice of a conscious mind. We are so 'bound' by our inner and outer environments that we even lose the 'feel' of freedom. To restitute it, first we need to understand the bondage and then find the key to freedom. The mind is a unified structure of myriad aspects, phases, layers; visible and invisible. It is present and at the same time constantly changing. It is an outward exposition; it is an inward process as well. The mind is conscious but it also works at unconscious, sub-conscious, half-conscious levels. It would be interesting to know that Indian philosophy has counted as many as eight levels. There is no end. The depth of the consciousness is ever unfolding. The idea is that when we consider the freedom of thought we need to define exactly what a free mind is in the light of all these aspects to the best of our knowledge. Continue<http://tickledbylife.com/index.php/are-we-%E2%80%98free%E2%80%99-to-think/> http://tickledbylife.com/index.php/are-we-'free'-to-think/<http://tickledbylife.com/index.php/are-we-%E2%80%98free%E2%80%99-to-think/> best regards [email protected] --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Insoshi developer site: http://dogfood.insoshi.com/ Insoshi documentation: http://docs.insoshi.com/ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Insoshi" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/insoshi?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
