IP

The tendency to see the world from an epistemically egocentric perspective is a general feature of human cognition (see Nickerson 1999; Royzman et al.)

Epistemic egocentrism becomes ‘the curse of knowledge’ when it leads to suboptimal results. For example, it can interfere with our ability to communicate and explain, make it more difficult for others to learn from us (...)

Intellectual Humility

Although the study of intellectual humility is fairly new, philosophers and psychologists have already offered a variety of accounts of this virtue. Unfortunately, there is little agreement on how to define intellectual humility. Instead of providing a definition, I will briefly survey the literature and draw out a list of qualities commonly associated with intellectual humility. (...)

As C.S. Lewis (2012) wrote, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself but thinking of yourself less”.

I’ll wrap up this exploration of the literature on humility by drawing out some typical characteristics of the intellectually humble person. I do not pretend these are individually necessary or jointly sufficient, but I do claim that someone who exhibits a set of these qualities has something worth calling ‘intellectual humility’.

The intellectual humble person will:

• not think too highly of themselves or be too impressed by their admired features

• not think that one’s beliefs or attitudes are better or more correct than other viewpoints

• not show conceit or be arrogant, which stems from a high opinion of oneself

• not overestimate or exaggerate their good features or achievements

• show low concern for how special their talents are

• show low concern for how their intellect is perceived; i.e. will lack intellectual vanity

• not boast or brag about their intellectual accomplishments

• not demand (and often refuse to accept) special treatment or honors, even when deserving

• not be defensive when challenged or try to explain away their intellectual shortcomings

• take complaints and criticism seriously, even when the criticizers are not authority figures

• acknowledge their mistakes and shortcomings

• have an increased propensity to defer to others

• generously acknowledge the contributions of others

• show open-mindedness to new ideas

• show concern for (or ‘own’) their intellectual limitations

This highlights the heterogeneity of behaviors and characteristics that philosophers and psychologists have taken to characterize intellectual humility. Given this heterogeneity, it is not surprising that several very different accounts of this virtue have been developed. I propose we take this heterogeneity at face value without succumbing to the philosophical urge—perhaps an imprint of Socrates’s legacy—to find some deeper underlying unity to them all.