independent thought
Mind's own conclusions
Independent thought is thinking for oneself rather than accepting received ideas or deferring to authority.
It implies arriving at conclusions through one's own reasoning and evaluation of evidence: The professor encouraged independent thought over rote memorization.
The phrase often carries approval, suggesting intellectual courage or originality, though it can also describe mere contrarianism dressed up as principle.
- freethinkingIntellectually independent reasoning
- free willAutonomous choice capacity
- autonomyIndependent decision-making capacity
- criticalExpressing disapproval or importance
- questioningSeeking answers through inquiry
skepticism · nonconformist · rebel · maverick · lone wolf · dissent · originality · philosophy · reason · self-reliance · contrarian · heretic · iconoclast · unorthodox · liberty · curiosity · open mind · doubt
- open-mindednessopen-mindedness, openness, open mind, broad-mindedness, broadminded
- TranscendentalismTranscendentalism, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walden, Walden Pond
independent thoughtgroupthink
Conformity-driven poor decisions
herd mentality · blind obedience · conformity · brainwashing · mob mentality
independent, thought, independence, independently, dependence, dependent, depend, dependently, interdependent