Freethinker (n): One who has rejected authority and dogma, especially in his or her religious thinking, in favor of rational inquiry and speculation.
An expanded description:
Freethought is a philosophical viewpoint which holds that opinions should be formed on the basis of science, logic, and reason, and should not be influenced by authority, tradition, or any dogma.
Freethinkers strive to build their opinions on the basis of facts, scientific inquiry, and logical principles, independent of any logical fallacies or the intellectually-limiting effects of authority, confirmation bias, cognitive bias, "conventional" wisdom, popular culture, prejudice, sectarianism, tradition, urban legend, and all other dogmatic or otherwise fallacious principles.
In terms of religion, freethinkers have generally held that there is insufficient evidence to support the existence of supernatural phenomena.
However, this view is not a requirement for one to be considered a freethinker, and some freethinkers do posit that the supernatural or paranormal may exist.
In modern times, the term "freethinker" has come to encompass the whole of non-theism. Freethinkers include atheists, agnostics, humanists, rationalists, religious skeptics, and some "spiritual but not religious" types as well as classic deists (as opposed to "theists").
