The answer is not as simple as a yes or no; and is that if we analyze a little, it is difficult to know if we are free to think. The truth is that we are conditioned by what we have lived and we usually take it as a starting point to build the rest of the map that make up our thoughts. Thus, this conditioner has penetrated so deeply into us that it can cost us a great deal of effort and time to determine how much and how much influence it has had.
This means that it is difficult to express an opinion or think differently than we are used to. To do so would probably involve questioning all our beliefs and sense of logic that we have acquired. It would be like risking a small or large earthquake.
However, to think freely would be to "get out" of any known opinion or way of life, when in reality, we are accustomed to agreeing and grouping in similarity of opinions. Either by agreeing with what "our people" think or by disagreeing with what "others" think.
So far I think not, that we are not totally free of thought and that to a certain extent each of our ideas is conditioned by something else, however I believe that there is a little free thought in each person.
Being free of thought means being different from most of the people around you, feeling like a "freak" and assuming that we won't absolutely agree with anyone. It means understanding that this price, which on certain occasions may seem very big to us, is what we have to pay to configure our own identity.
So if we manage to get out of the square and the standard that is usually expected of other people, no doubt we will be making a difference and being truly free to think. To go out of the habitual thing, of the monotony and to question the traditions of all the life, to be creative to dare to think different and not in favor or against the most known postures. It is in this determination that your freedom resides.
One of my favourite series of experiments relates to an investigation into free will. A participant is asked to press one of two buttons, with one button held in each hand. A brain scan (EEG or MRI) is used to map brain activity whilst the decision is made.
The study showed that brain activity can predict which button is to be pressed well in advance of the actual pressing of the button. Up to seven seconds in advance! The conclusion was that the subconscious mind was making the decision rather than the conscious mind.
A follow-up experiment showed that the participant could change the decision within the delay period (the seven seconds) if subject to another stimulus within that time period, although there was a point in time at which no further change could be made. The revised conclusion was that the subconscious brain prepared the decision making, with the conscious brain capable of overriding the decision.
To me this illustrates that we may be making many decisions subconsciously, although we think that our conscious minds are in control. This suggests that our thoughts and decisions are potentially open to influence from others without us even being aware that this is the case.
The influence of the subconscious is likely to underlie much of advertising. Particular brands and colours may well appeal to our subconscious minds through association, bypassing our conscious overrides.
The same may well be true of political campaigning. It has been studied that we are more likely to believe a lie the greater the number of times we have heard it told. Could this be due to a laying down of neural pathways in the subconscious?
We still know relatively little about the human mind. I suspect that we are more easily manipulated than we care to admit. We may think that we have freedom of thought. But how do we decide what to think about?
Yes, in principle we have. However, it's a different matter altogether whether it occurs us to think thoughts out of the beaten path. I believe our thinking is very heavily influenced by the information we are exposed to. While there is no central committee deciding our information diet, it is engineered to a large degree, chiefly to respond to whatever we have the least resistance to accepting. What you get with the Internet and mass media is echo chambers with positive feedback and large media conglomerates feeding the masses what they deem best serves the interests of their owners. Most of the information we consume is the equivalent of fast food engineered to maximize profits. It's not necessarily very good for us.
I wrote a post about this once, titled "do you really think you think what you want to think"?
Subliminal messages, mind control, brainwash, are all presently at play, everywhere we look and turn.
Is it crazy to think that perhaps, I only think writing on musing gives me fulfillment because I've been programmed to "think" it does, and believe that I am freely making this choice with no influence besides my own?
The thought is present in my mind all of the time. I spend so much time on the blockchain, and internet in general, despite having a distaste for what it does to people, it's really oxy-moronic.. It makes no fucking sense at all!
But here I am, clammering away on these keys, thinking, "this is what I want to do."
At the end of the day, it's possible I'm brainwashed, It's also possible I am making money, and enjoying myself, so the hell with it. I won't let it bother me if this is the case.
But I will not forget to raise awareness within myself, and mindfully connect with the things that make me human. Playing musical instruments, singing, walking in nature (while leaving the devices at home), going to the park with the kids.
It's ok that we are having fun and making money with the internet, even if it's by design, because we feel good doing it (those that are like me). If you feel good, and you are happy, this is important. If I was absolutely miserable, but addicted to this lifestyle, I would see a problem that needs correcting, currently, I see no problem.
Yes but we have limited freedom of expression which is something that complements freedom of thought. Freedom of expression can be limited by social mandate, existing physical impairment to communicate, and and disorganized thinking. We can think but not all instances are we capable to express everything.
Definitely, if there is one thing that all humans have, it is the freedom of thought. We can think about anything we so desire and that is why we have been able to accomplish so much as humans, because our thoughts are not bound by anything.
Although now a design, alot of people are being oppressed and mistreated because of the way they think and view life. People are trying to make others conform to the general way of thinking which is wrong and a crime against our fundamental human rights.
Discussion about freedom of thought:
Mindful in human life. Some thoughts happen in the short range of human life. But do we have all the freedom of thought in life?
I gave two examples of freedom of thought. There is freedom of thought. Secondly there is no freedom of thought. For example:
The first example: If you think about doing a lot of things by studying in life, I am a student.
Then you have to create anger in your mind from your thoughts. We need to do something good as well. In this way, try to keep thinking. You will see a time when your thoughts have been successful or independence.
The right thinking has the freedom. Because good thoughts awakens every human. Good thoughts become costly to humans. Top human beings have written names in history since good thoughts. Therefore there is always good freedom of thought.
Second example: In the dialectical example, I have presented something different. I can think badly. But there is no freedom of bad thought. Because bad thoughts will lead to our destruction.
Bad thoughts can not be expressed in human beings. The person who thinks bad has been destroyed. Think of yourself. There is no freedom of bad thinking. Bad thinking creates chaos in people. So there is no freedom of thought.
I have tried to answer your question correctly with my eighteen years of life experience. I hope the answer is understandable.
Philosophy Has Intended To Provide Acceptable Answer To This Question To No Avail because of Plurality Perspectives..
Do Humans Have Freedom of Thought??
Are They Really Responsible for Their Thoughts??
Could An External Source Be Responsible For Their Thought Patterns??
All These Points To the Helplessness of Man When It Comes To How He Thinks and Reason. Yes! I have just avered That Your Thoughts Are Not Ours. They are Handed down To Us By Authorities Not Known To Us.
By Culture :By Indoctrination:By Autosuggestion: By Media Hyping and Propaganda: Yes, by Supernatural Telepathy.
Through These Media , Your mind Is Prepared and Conditioned To Think Their Wishes , deliberately but Covertly Planted In Your Heart , So You Could Do Their Biddings Without Their Physical Promptings!!
In Yoga Sutra 1.2 the author Patanjali states that "yoga" (union with all there is, our highest Self, the Universe, the Creator, etc.) "comes from mastery over the modifications of the mind."
To many this may sound simple, but in reality it is quite literally the most difficult skill one can accomplish. Its total absorption into Truth.
To truly dive into the answer to your question we would need to define the source of all our thoughts. Is that possible to know? Who's doing the thinking for us? Why do we have conflicting thoughts? Are we really arguing with ourselves, or are we observing a war of opposing forces?
I'm fairly certain that until we attain and sustain a true union with Source energy we are bound to have limited access to total freedom of thought.
What's most important to note is that this isn't a binary state, you aren't free or not free. You can have temporal access to your highest consciousness, and once you get a sense of how the Mind works, you can train your attention to "tune into" the truths of the Universe.
It simply takes practice, determination, and discipline to improve. Take it present moment by moment.
Yes. I do.
It depends which country are you from. There are many countries in the world where you don't have this luxury, yes you heard right luxury.