Is there such a thing as an original thought?

It’s original to that person I guess.

We always talked about this in my HS sophomore English class. At the time it was completely mind-opening and scary. It made me feel even less unique than I already felt.

In one sense, though, it’s sort of comforting. If you’re having really bizarre or scary or lonely thoughts/feelings, just to know that someone else has thought that at some point.

But yes, as @Facade said I guess you just have to look at is original to that person, at that exact moment in time.

I think there is new application of existing thinking, which makes it seem new.

I AM an original thought =)

Dunno… Then again, I’m pretty sure that I’ve said/typed a NUMBER of things, over the years, that no one has felt comfortable uttering.

There is no original thought. Thought is a function of language. We learn language from each others, from our culture, and through time. We agree on the meanings of theses words, and they form the basis of every communication, either externally to the world our internally to ourselves.

What is original is the context within which the thought exists. No other person has had your exact experiences. You will make unique connections between each thought, filtered through the lens of your personal perspective. When you express your thoughts, you send them back out into the world, and each of us grows intellectually richer.

It may be original to that one person, who has never thought that before. However, I believe there are pretty much no thoughts that have never been thought by ANYONE who’s ever lived.