EDWARD'S LECTURE NOTES:
More notes at http://tanguay.info/learntracker
C O U R S E
Intellectual Humility
Duncan Pritchard, The University of Edinburgh
 |
C O U R S E L E C T U R E Two Modern Theories of Intellectual Humility Notes taken on December 14, 2016 by Edward Tanguay |
•
when people are faced with difficult questions
•
they prone to dismiss and marginalize dissent
•
politics is polarizing
•
in some parts of the world extremely dangerous
•
whether it is
•
Christian fundamentalism
•
Islamic extremism
•
militant atheism
•
religious dialogue remains tinted by terrifying and dehumanizing arrogance, dogma, and ignorance
•
the world needs more people who are intellectually robust yet sensitive
•
need to be sensitive to reasons for and against their beliefs
•
intellectual humility
•
the virtuous mean between arrogance and self-deprecation
•
the humble person doesn't value herself too much or too little
•
the intellectual humble person doesn't overly value her beliefs, nor undervalue them
•
doxastic account
•
having to do with beliefs
•
two dominant accounts of intellectual humility in contemporary philosophical literature
•
1. low concern for status account
•
Bob Roberts
•
Jay Wood
•
intellectual humility is viewed as the opposite of intellectual arrogance, or improper pride
•
desire to promote own social status
•
the intellectually humble person is not concerned about status that might be accrued by pursuing intellectual endeavors
•
pursue intellectual goods for their own sake
•
positive aspects
•
rightly captures a social dynamic
•
problems
•
doesn't allow one to be too humble
•
but one can be so self-deprecating and so self-lessening that their vicious, not virtuous
•
example: botanist
•
Susan
•
highly acclaimed botanist with a litany of scientific achievements with an unmatched knowledge of orchids
•
she cares nothing for social status or the accolades of her peers
•
Frank
•
novice botanist at best
•
is wildly obsessed with his status amongst his peers
•
regularly antagonistic towards Susan
•
they are at a garden
•
disagree about scientific name of an orchid
•
Susan treats Frank as an intellectual peer
•
situations in which there is no social status involved
•
examples: scenario
•
Frank is shipwrecked and alone
•
he can not longer be concerned with his status
•
he cannot help but to be intellectual humble
•
2. limitations owning account
•
Dennis Whitcomb
•
Heather Battaly
•
Daniel Howard-Snyder
•
Jason Baehr
•
a proper attentiveness to and owning of one's intellectual limitations
•
"when life calls for one to be mindful of a limitation, then and only then, will it appear on the ideally humble person's radar"
•
this means that intellectual humility is not just the opposite of intellectual arrogance
•
if you are completely oblivious to your limitations, then you will be intellectually arrogant
•
if you are overly attentive to and owning of your intellectual limitations, then you will be intellectually servile
•
you will be too humble
•
intellectual humility is blind to intellectual strengths
•
problems
•
1. allows people to be intellectually humble and intellectually arrogant
•
someone who is aware of limitations but brags about strengths
•
example
•
"you need to meet Christopher, he's such a kind and humble guy, but you have to watch out, he's an arrogant jerk"
•
sounds contradictory
•
2. allows someone to be intellectually humble and intellectually servile