How about a "freethinker". Doesn't that cover it ALL?
Freethinkers vs. Bright s
Freethinkers know exactly what they mean when they use the word, freethought. It is a perfectly good umbrella word used inside the club, so to speak. It has been with us for some time. In fact, the "community of reason" is most often termed, the freethought community, a good many persons who would definitely qualify as Brights are distinctly not freethinkers.
Out in general society, freethought is used in a multitude of ways. Most of the time non-freethinkers haven't got the slightest idea of what the word means. In fact, many religious folks we know think of themselves as freethinkers (“able to freely think my way through things” is their meaning). To others, freethought is closely linked to ideas like free love, and free spirit (nonconformist, individualist, maverick, radical, oddball, and doing exactly what you want).
In short, socially, this term is carrying the baggage of overuse and misunderstanding. We know this for a fact. We have been dealing with social studies educators concerning the topic of “freethought history” for about eight years!
Bright is an invented noun, a neologism. It is fresh, free, and unencumbered. It has a good shot at being a meme which will eventually pervade all of society.
Gumby
