Is freedom of thought more important than societal conformity?

[laly520]

Is thinking freely more important than fitting in with others?

[Aiko_E_Lara]

That actually depends on the culture. People can be either disciplined or spoiled depending on the culture and how history has changed there moral standards. Society with very disciplined culture deserve more freedom or the leaders can take advantage of it but if the leaders are also disciplined, It is only efficient if they put less restrain to he people and put their budget somewhere else like developing more. For example. People in Japan are very disciplined but companies and leaders take advantage of that. They deserve more freedom. New Zealand is also very disciplined and also very free. It has low crime rate. They're government don't invest in taking advantage on people to provoke them but use it for something else. But in the US, plenty of violent crimes in there. School shooting, Karens, people feeling entitled to what they do, "chicken jockey" because it's "freedom" That's why culture comes first. That's what culture should start first then either can be the next.

[Maybe_Maybe_not]

Individual perspective. Raw freedom of thought, without social conformity learned, is the recipe for psychiatric hospital, in countries where it exists. Raw social conformity, without freedom of thought is probably a career in the lowest ranks of the army. So I think army is less cruel a fate lol?

Societal perspective. Society relies on societal conformity to function, this is what parents teach, what schools teach, what jobs teach. What every individuals teach to one another 24/7 without even knowing it. In order to avoid chaos & mutual destruction.

Freedom of thought is a funny thing, I believe everyone shall be more inclined to think of themselves as thinking freely because it's narcissistically rewarding to do so.

Is this self-attributed freedom of thought really happening though?

Or is it just a nice 🤳🏼?

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

That highly depends on one’s goals and ambitions. If your goal is to move up in the world, take a place of significant leadership, then you have to do one while simultaneously appearing to do the other. You can think freely, but you have to appear as if you’re conforming so as to gain approval and meet the status quo as it’s known in society.

[emeraldsaphire]

Absolutely! Sadly very few people are free thinkers and this is what causes most of our problems. It allows stupid people to become leaders, and by the way there is no such thing as a smart leader. A smart person avoids leadership. Well at least leadership in a traditional sense.

[OneViewpoint]

Both are important and both are dangerous in the right context.

Conformity - People need to be able to work together in order for society to function. So paying attention to a clock and showing up on time for work is a good thing. Waiting your turn in a line is a good thing. Not murdering people randomly is a good thing. Conformity is a practical thing. But let conformity suppress people and you get rebellion which is destructive.

Freedom Of Thought - Being able to think outside the box is what allows innovation and change to happen. Science, philosophy, music, literature, films, and art all depend on freedom of thought. Without freedom of thought nothing would ever change. Free thought is a creative thing. But free thought without any guardrails or structure can create chaos.

As with everything in life, a balance between conformity and freedom of thought is what seems to work best for humans.

[msc545]

Whether thinking freely is more important than fitting in with others depends on the context and what you're prioritizing—authenticity or belonging. Ultimately, many people strive to balance both—thinking independently while remaining socially connected. It's not always an either-or choice; it's about knowing when to stand out and when to blend in. The importance of free thinking versus fitting in with others depends on the context and your priorities—whether you value authenticity or belonging more. Ultimately, many people aim to achieve a balance between independent thinking and social connection. It isn't always a matter of choosing one over the other; rather, it's about understanding when to stand out and when to blend in.

[slatyb]

Thoughts are free. Not every thought has to be expressed. If a person doesn't share the beliefs of their native community, they might consider finding another. That's easy in some countries, not so easy in others. Unfortunately we no longer have free immigration anywhere in the world.

[findacure4wokeness]

Yes freedom of thought is better. Too many people just mindlessly conform these days. They let the Media and institutions manipulate them into believing what ever they want them to believe. Asking the Manipulators too many questions that very often exposes truths and lies will only make them angry and get you canceled. watch the Movie 1984.

[Snakeyes7]

100%. The ability to think critically is essential to a free society. With our culture plagues with postmodern philosophy, this ability to do so is eroding because this philosophy seeks to change everything we thought was true either without thinking about the consequences or they just want to watch the world burn.

[Cormac995]

It's a balancing act. Too much conformity leads to tyranny without fail but too much focus on the self and not enough compassion and consideration for the collective is why the country has gone to hell in a handbasket.

[FenixG45]

Freedom of thought is EQUALLY important as societal conformity. Humanity works because we are social animals. While society can benefit greatly from freedom of thought, like the emergence of revolutionary ideas. Radical freedom of thought can lead to extremism, racism and fundamentalism, wholly unacceptable to societal conformity.
Neither is GREAT, but BALANCE is best for Humanity as a whole!

[fantasticass]

Yes, freedom of thought is extremely important... executing that thought is the reward, stay weird ✌️

[glennos89]

Personally I hate societal conformity. I'm just trying to be who I am without bothering how other people think of me

[AlenAHHHH]

Depends. Everyone has free thoughts and use them differently.

[MannMitAntworten]

Individual freedom of thought is important and society’s freedom to agree or disagree with the individual’s thoughts is equally important.

[TallAnon]

That depends on who is asking.
For me, an individual, my individuality is more important.
As a society, me conforming is more important.
Society gains from control, but we lose through it.

[Dongie]

Absolutely! Otherwise there isn't any freedom at all.

[Anonymous]

Depends, in some countries, freedom of thought is more important, but in most countries, societal conformity is more important.

[Bloodparadise]

Personally, I would like to impose my mind over others

[FreyaRed]

The one doesn't exclude the other

[Chazmatazz269]

Not if you want to live in a society.

[Princessvarsha]

Yes freedom of thought is very important..

[David318578]

Yes its way more important

[beefcakebradybatson]

ABSOLUTELY !!!

[WonderingManII]

Yes.

[grega239]

Obviously

[DCVsMarvel2]

Yes!