Thoughts of a Freethinker: a Late Sunday Morning Sleeper's Revelations

Publisher Marketing: Those of you who consider yourselves "freethinkers" of whatever type or combination of types-atheist, agnostic, ignostic, humanist, Unitarian, nonreligious, antireligious, secularist, ethical culturist, bright, realist, skeptic, and so forth-may enjoy seeing whether you have or had similar thoughts, ideas, or experiences as me throughout your lives. Or perhaps, as freethinkers often do, you have had totally unique, individual, or different thoughts from those of this particular self-proclaimed modern-day freethinker. For the religious-and I know there are many of you out there of numerous stripes-if you dare, you may wish to see the type of thoughts that come from what I consider to be an unencumbered, freethinking mind. These are thoughts you may never have allowed yourself to contemplate. If you dare, see what it's like on the "free" side of thought. Take in a breath of fresh air, think outside of your box, broaden your horizons, and see how one thinks outside the box of religious dogma. Discover the world of free, self-directed thought. In essence, see what makes a freethinker tick and why one can be more passionate about reality and life in the freethinking world than any religionist could ever "imagine (no religion)" in his or her confined, dogmatic world of superstition. There can be no freedom without the freedom to think for yourself! Contributor Bio:  Kaye, Michael Michael Kaye, CFA, is a portfolio analyst for Standard & Poor's Investment Advisory Services LLC. He serves as a deputy portfolio manager for accounts sub-advised by Standard & Poor's, conducts back tests on equity portfolio strategies, and develops stock screens. Additionally, Kaye writes the weekly "Stock Screens" column for BusinessWeek Online and has been quoted in publications including Standard & Poor's The Outlook, Kiplinger.com, Faz.net, and others. Standard & Poor's is the world's foremost provider of independent credit ratings, indices, risk evaluation, investment research, data and valuations. An essential part of the world's financial infrastructure, Standard & Poor's has played a leading role for more than 140 years in providing investors with the independent advice they need to feel more confident about their investment and financial decisions.