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Bigfrostynugs t1_j12bd0w wrote

Reply to comment by Zanderax in Do no conform: Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay Self-Reliance argues that we should strive for greatness and self-reliance rather than the "meanness" of conforming to the society's dead institutions saying that "Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind" by thelivingphilosophy

I've heard it described like this:

A contrarian does the opposite of whatever is mainstream, but a true rebel does whatever they think is good or right, without regard for what is mainstream or not.

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WriggleNightbug t1_j12q86s wrote

I hate that I love to be caught in semantics, but here I am. Caught in semantics. And loving it.

I rebel, non-conformer, and contrarian are all the same term here because they carry similar broad societal meanings(read baggage) even if your usage or the dictionary definitions are distinct. I don't have a good term yet but I think you've identified what the correct word needs.

  1. Connotation that someone will make a choice in line with their ethics/morality despite the cultural zeitgeist.
  2. A personal ethics/morality that is considered and informed based on both primary societal standards and secondary or tertiary knowledges as well.
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Bigfrostynugs t1_j12vn1f wrote

I would say freethinker, though that doesn't speak to the validity of a person's beliefs, just their ideological independence.

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GORGasaurusRex t1_j12xq38 wrote

To use a crude analogy: the Neutral Good alignment.

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WriggleNightbug t1_j13ctvk wrote

I hate DND alignment so much. It's bad for dnd, it's bad for philosophy, it's bad for everything. The worst thing I keep engaging with it to hope I can make it better, but it never will happen. I'm finally just admitting I hate it and it can never be good.

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[deleted] t1_j134c94 wrote

"good or right" as in morally or self interested or something else?

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Bigfrostynugs t1_j15dfh8 wrote

Most cases in which one is a freethinker has nothing to do with morality or self-interest.

Say that I've decided I really want to have long hair even though I'm a guy. But then, suddenly long hair on guys becomes incredibly popular as a fashion trend. A contrarian might cut their hair short even though they liked it long, just to be opposite of the pack.

But a true rebel just wears their hair long, because that's what they wanted in the first place and they don't give a shit what anyone else thinks. The popularity of long hair for men is totally irrelevant to their decision. They just do what they think is best regardless of others' actions.

You could extrapolate that out to apply to moral decisions too if you want but the logic of it all doesn't have anything to do with what is ethical or not.

In my opinion, in order for a decision to be truly moral a person must come to it themselves. An ethical decision reached on anything other than real ethical conviction is on shaky ground.

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