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Intellectual Humility: Practice

Approx. 19 hours to complete

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Course Summary

This course teaches the importance of intellectual humility and how to practice it in our daily lives. You will learn how to recognize your own biases and limitations, and how to engage in open-minded dialogue with others.

Key Learning Points

Develop an understanding of intellectual humility and its importance in personal and professional contexts
Recognize and overcome your own biases and limitations
Engage in productive dialogue with others, even when there are disagreements

Learning Outcomes

Develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for intellectual humility
Recognize and overcome personal biases and limitations
Engage in more productive and open-minded discussions with others

Prerequisites or good to have knowledge before taking this course

No prior knowledge or experience required
Willingness to engage in self-reflection and open-minded dialogue

Course Difficulty Level

Beginner

Course Format

Online self-paced course
Video lectures and interactive exercises
Estimated time commitment: 8 hours

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Critical Thinking and Problem-Solving
Logical and Critical Thinking

Related Education Paths

Notable People in This Field

Daniel Kahneman
Carol Dweck

Related Books

Description

We live in a polarised world where all too often people talk past each other. But do you know when to believe what others say? For example, how quick should we be to accept something that someone else tells us is true, and what should we be looking out for when assessing a person's trustworthiness? Meanwhile, what should we do when we encounter disagreements with people who seem to be our equals? How and when should we adjust our beliefs, and how does the appropriate response vary depending on the evidence? These challenges may be especially important in the arena of religious disagreements. How should we weigh the evidence for and against various theistic and atheistic stances?

Experts in psychology, philosophy, theology and education are conducting exciting new research on these questions, and the results have important, real-world applications. Faced with difficult questions people often tend to dismiss and marginalize dissent. Political and moral disagreements can be incredibly polarizing, and sometimes even dangerous. And whether it’s Christian fundamentalism, Islamic extremism, or militant atheism, religious dialogue remains tinted by arrogance, dogma, and ignorance. The world needs more people who are sensitive to reasons both for and against their beliefs, and are willing to consider the possibility that their political, religious and moral beliefs might be mistaken. The world needs more intellectual humility. In this course. we will examine the following major questions about applied issues surrounding intellectual humility: • Should you believe what people say? • How should we handle disagreement? • What is the role of evidence in resolving religious disagreements? All lectures are delivered by leading specialists, and the course is organised around a number of interesting readings and practical assignments which will help you address issues related to humility in your daily life. This course can be taken as a part of a series which explores the theory, the science and the applied issues surrounding intellectual humility. Before, we considered how to define and measure intellectual humility, what intellectual virtue is, whether we are born or can become humble, and what cognition and emotions can tell us about intellectual humility. If you are interested, complete all three courses to gain a broader understanding of this fascinating topic. Look for: • Intellectual Humility: Theory - https://www.coursera.org/learn/intellectual-humility-theory • Intellectual Humility: Science - https://www.coursera.org/learn/intellectual-humility-science Check out our trailer to hear more - https://youtu.be/x_CWjrYxKZU.

Outline

GETTING STARTED
Trailer - Intellectual Humility: Practice
About this course
Course assessments and exercises
Optional companion book

SHOULD YOU BELIEVE WHAT PEOPLE SAY?
Ian introduces Module 1
Introduction to testimony
Trust and scepticism
The evolutionary background of trust
Reconciling testimony with what we already believe
The right, the wrong, and the humble
Humility, fear and bias
Humility and confidence
Before you begin...
"Can You Believe What You Hear?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson (recommended)
Jennifer Saul on Implicit Bias (recommended podcast)
Daniel Kahneman on Bias (recommended)
"Social Knowledge and Social Norms" by Peter Graham (further reading)
"Knowledge, Assertion and Humility" by Emma C. Gordon and J. Adam Carter (further reading)
Miranda Fricker on Epistemic Injustice (further podcast)
"On Testimony and Transmission" by J. Adam Carter and Philip J. Nickel (further reading)
Initial thoughts
Practice Quiz
Feels good to be right?
Your examples of fears and biases
Module quiz
Reading quiz on "Can You Believe What You Hear?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson

HOW SHOULD WE HANDLE DISAGREEMENT?
Ian introduces Module 2
Introduction to disagreement
Disagreement between equals
Dimensions of reasonable disagreement
"How Should We Handle Disagreement?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson (recommended)
"The Epistemic Significance of Disagreement" by Thomas Kelly (recommended)
"Reasonable Disagreement" by Catherine Elgin (further reading)
"The Epistemology of Testimony" by Duncan Pritchard (further reading)
"Philosophical Peer Disagreement" by Nicolás Lo Guercio (further reading)
"The Epistemology of Disagreement" (video discussion between Roy Sorensen and David Christensen).
"Intellectual Humility, Knowledge-How and Disagreement" by Duncan Pritchard and J. Adam Carter (further reading)
Your initial thoughts
Practice Quiz
Back to last week
The disagreements you know
The dimensions in your example
Module quiz
Reading quiz on "How Should We Handle Disagreement?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson

RESOLVING RELIGIOUS DISAGEEMENTS: THE ROLE OF EVIDENCE
Ian introduces Module 3
Introduction
Biases and evidence-weighting
Three evidence-weighting policies
Assessing privatism
Assessing publicism
Assessing egalitarianism
Improving egalitarianism
"What Does Intellectual Humility Tell Us About Religion?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson (recommended)
"Faith and Reason" by Duncan Pritchard (recommended reading or viewing)
"Two Concepts of Intellectual Humility" by Jason Baehr (further viewing)
"Can There Be Religious Disagreement Between Epistemic Peers?" by Jennifer Lackey (further viewing)
"Scepticism and Implicit Bias" by Jennifer Saul (further reading)
Initial thoughts
Good disagreement
Practice Quiz
Evidence weighting in disagreement
Module Quiz
Reading quiz on "What Does Intellectual Humility Tell Us About Religion?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson

END OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
Before you finish...
Show what you learned by editing the Wikipedia entry on intellectual humility!
A brief How-To
TRAILER: Intellectual Humility: Theory
TRAILER: Intellectual Humility: Science

Summary of User Reviews

Discover the benefits of intellectual humility and how to cultivate more open-minded thinking with this online course. Users have praised the course for its engaging content and insightful exercises. However, some have noted that the course can be challenging to complete and may require a significant time commitment.

Key Aspect Users Liked About This Course

Many users appreciated the course's emphasis on self-reflection and the practical strategies provided for cultivating intellectual humility.

Pros from User Reviews

Engaging content
Insightful exercises
Practical strategies for cultivating intellectual humility
Opportunities for self-reflection
Excellent instructor

Cons from User Reviews

Challenging to complete
Requires a significant time commitment
May be too basic for some learners
Some technical issues with the online platform
Limited interaction with other students

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Intellectual Humility: Theory

Faced with difficult questions people often tend to dismiss and marginalize dissent. Political and moral disagreements can be incredibly polarizing, and sometimes even dangerous....

Save Course