Yvonne's Tips For Teacher Blog

Yvonne's Tips For Teacher Blog

Sunday, January 8, 2023

Post 491 Intellectual Humility and Science Fiction

 

Intellectual Humility and Seed Stock by Frank Herbert

In the Frank Herbert story, Seed Stock, Earth scientists colonize a new planet with a harsh climate far in the future. The scientists brought with them plants and animals from Earth. The scientists intended to recreate a Earth farm on this planet which has Earth like atmosphere and Earth like plants and soil.  The majority of the colonists were scientists. Very little of the Earth flora, animals and plants that the Earth scientists brought with them survived. The scientists tried in vain to try to get their plants and animals to survive using agriculture techniques from Earth. None of the scientists thought to adjust their plants to the soil or habitat of the new planet. The scientists were rigid in their beliefs thinking the only kind of agricultural techniques that would work is what worked on Earth. Yet, the only person who succeeded in growing plants and saving the colony from starvation was the lowly laborer, Kroudar, whom the arrogant upper class scientists treated with disdain because he was uneducated, yet it was Kroudar and his ability to adapt by 'going native' that saved the colonists from starvation.

Unlike the scientists who in their arrogance clung to Earth like agricultural techniques, Kroudar and his wife, Hannida, adapted their planting and hunting techniques to the habitat of the new planet. Kroudar saved the colonists' lives by finding a native shrimp called trodi that he could fish from the local stream when the animals the scientists brought from Earth had died. It was Hannida, Kroudar's wife who gene spliced genes from the native plants of the planet into the genes of the Earth plants to successfully grow plants that the colonists could use to make wheat and other grains. In many ways, the Earth scientists resemble colonialism in that the European colonialists would try to recreate Europe whatever foreign country they colonized and look down on the native people of that country just like the European scientists looked down on Kroudar for being ugly and only a laborer. Being narrow-minded is the opposite of having intellectual humility.

Kroudar and his wife demonstrated Intellectual Humility--that is they were open-minded enough to accept the possibility that the agriculture techniques used on Earth are not the only way to successfully grow plants for the colony. By allowing themselves to learn new techniques, adapt to new conditions, be open-minded, be curious, and owning up to their mistakes and limitations, that's how Kroudar learned, adapted, survivee and succeeded in the unforgiving conditions of the new planets. However, The scientists were the opposite by being so rigid and narrow minded in thinking that only Earth like agricultural techniques would succeed, the scientists in their arrogance almost died of starvation if it weren't for Kroudar, his wife Hannida and his ability to have an open mind by using Intellectual Humility. Having intellectual humility involves being able to see a problem from multiple perspectives and multiple points of view.  Being humble allows one to have an open-mind to be open to multiple perspectives outside of one's comfort box. It is precisely when a learner gets out of his comfort zone, that he truly learns and grows as a person.

When a learner has an open mind, not be arrogant and closed off, not always thinking that his beliefs are the only ones that can exist, not believing that all other beliefs are wrong,, owning up to his limitations, that's how a learner demonstrates intellectual humility.  The best way to learn is to open up your mind to new experiences, new possibilities, accept multiple points of view and only when we stay curious do we truly learn and do we truly gain wisdom.

Friday, January 6, 2023

Post 490: Intellectual Humility

 Intellectual Humility


What is Intellectual Humility?

 Intellectual humility is the ability to recognize and accept one’s own limitations and mistakes, and to be open to the possibility that one’s views may be wrong. This attitude of openness and self-awareness is essential in intellectual pursuits, as it helps to create an environment of learning and growth.

Do people think they are always right? Do they believe that their beliefs could be wrong or are people guilty of Overconfidence bias? Overconfidence bias is the solid belief that a person is always right and never wrong in his belief. Most Americans have Overconfidence bias and rarely believe they are wrong in their beliefs. When a person knows he is flawed, and knows that his beliefs can sometimes be wrong, then this is known as Intellectual Humility. Having Intellectual Humility helps people overcome Overconfidence bias.

The Benefits of Intellectual Humility

One of the major benefits of intellectual humility is that it allows one to be open to different ideas and perspectives. It helps to create an atmosphere of learning and growth, where one can be open to new ideas and perspectives, without feeling threatened or defensive. Additionally, intellectual humility can also help to develop critical thinking skills, as it encourages one to question their own views and conclusions.

Intellectual Humility in Intellectual Pursuits

Intellectual humility is also essential for intellectual pursuits. By recognizing and accepting one’s own limitations, one can be open to new ideas and perspectives, which can lead to profound learning experiences. Additionally, intellectual humility can also help to foster collaboration, as it allows those in a group to appreciate and value each other's perspectives and ideas.

Intellectual Humility in Everyday Life

Intellectual humility can also be beneficial in everyday life. By recognizing and accepting one’s own mistakes, one can avoid making the same mistake again and can instead focus on learning and growth. Additionally, by being open to different ideas and perspectives, one can gain a better understanding of the world around them and can learn to appreciate different opinions and views.

I think the best way to learn about the world is to learn with 'Intellectual Humility'. Just what is it? Snow (2018) defines Intellectual Humility as open-mindedness, curiosity, intellectual perseverance and being able to own your limitations. In other words, if a learner is willing to go out of his comfort zones to learn about what is totally unfamiliar to him/her with an open minded; be willing to accept if he/she is wrong if critiqued; always be curious about taking in new information or new experiences--that to me is the definition of intellectual humility. Snow (2018) states that intellectual humility is a simple acceptance of our human flaws, weaknesses and limitations. 

Van Tongeren (2019) claims that the very act of being humble entails a) an ability to acknowledge one's limitations and abilities; b) an interpersonal space that is 'other' oriented rather than 'self-focused' and c) owning up to one's biases d) prioritizing the well-being of others over yourself.

The opposite of Intellectual Humility is close-mindedness and arrogance. Battaly(2020) defines arrogance as a close-minded learner who is unwilling to engage seriously with an intellectual option or unwilling to revise one's beliefs.  Battaly defines an arrogant learner as someone who under-owns his cognitive shortcomings and over-owns his cognitive strengths. To me, an arrogant learner is someone who is not willing to change his mind due to shifting times or to changing facts/data but is someone who is stuck in the past and sticks to outdated paradigms even if there is evidence to the contrary.

In my teaching, I demonstrate Intellectual Humility to my students by being open-minded by encouraging them to learn about other cultures; to learn the whole story of another person before prejudging them to avoid stereotypes; to look at any problem/ or person from multiple perspectives; to tell my students to think critically by looking at whatever they read from all angles to determine if what they are reading is biased/unbiased. I teach students that whenever they make a claim, they have to back up that claim with credible evidence to avoid bias and I teach students how to present data objectively to write a credible research paper.

I role model humility by owning up to my mistakes. If I gave an incorrect grade, or posted the wrong date in an announcement, I would own up to my mistakes to my students and fix that mistake. I let students know that I am human too. Students appreciate that kind of raw honesty that humility brings to the table. I role model to students how they too can accept the fact that we humans are flawed and we make mistakes. After all, only God is perfect.

The take away lesson is if a learner is close-minded, he does not learn. A learner who is open-minded and has intellectual humility and who is always curious about the world, is the learner who truly learns the material by leaving oneself open to new experiences and new ways of thinking. A true learner learns from multiple perspectives to get the whole story and when he does, he truly can appreciate the diversity of God's kingdom. As the open-minded learner with intellectual humility, 

What does the Bible say about humility?

Proverbs 11:2 ESV /

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom. 

Proverbs 18:12 ESV /

Before destruction a man's heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. 

Philippians 2:3 ESV /

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. 

In conclusion, intellectual humility is the ability to recognize and accept one’s own limitations and mistakes, and to be open to the possibility that one’s views may be wrong. This attitude of openness and self-awareness is essential in intellectual pursuits, as it helps to create an environment of learning and growth. Additionally, it can also be beneficial in everyday life, as it allows one to be open to different ideas and perspectives, and to gain a better understanding of the world around them.

 

 

 

References

Battaly, H. (Ed.). (2018). The Routledge Handbook of Virtue Epistemology (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315712550

 Van Tongeren, D. R., Davis, D. E., Hook, J. N., & Witvliet, C. vanOyen. (2019). Humility. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28(5), 463–468. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721419850153


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