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WriggleNightbug t1_j12q86s wrote

Reply to comment by Bigfrostynugs 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 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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