Intellectual Humility: Science

About this course: It’s clear that the world needs more intellectual humility. But how do we develop this virtue? And why do so many people still end up so arrogant? Do our own biases hold us back from becoming as intellectually humble as we could be—and are there some biases that actually make us more likely to be humble? Which cognitive dispositions and personality traits give people an edge at being more intellectually humble - and are they stable from birth, learned habits, or something in between? And what can contemporary research on the emotions tell us about encouraging intellectual humility in ourselves and others? Experts in psychology, philosophy 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 the science of intellectual humility: • How do we become intellectually humble? • What can human cognition tell us about intellectual humility? • How does arrogance develop, and how can we become more open-minded? • How do emotions affect our ability to be intellectually humble? 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. In the previous course on the theory behind intellectual humility, we considered how to define intellectual humility, the nature of an intellectual virtue, and how we know who is intellectually humble. 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: Practice - https://www.coursera.org/learn/intellectual-humility-practice Check out our trailer to hear more - https://youtu.be/mScdlwoXZ70

Who is this class for: This class can be taken by anyone. The materials will be divided into three tiers, allowing you to choose how much you want to engage with the topic. At the Learn level, you will watch videos and complete quizzes. At the Engage level, you will be asked to do some background reading, answer reflective questions and participate in discussions. At the Go Further! level you will be invited to complete more creative tasks and presented with a range of further readings. You can choose how you want to engage with the course and each particular module, and can mix things to best suit your learning style.

Created by:  The University of Edinburgh

• Taught by:  Dr Ian Church, Researcher

  Epistemology; Philosophy of Psychology; Philosophy of Religion

• Taught by:  Professor Duncan Pritchard, Professor of Philosophy

  University of Edinburgh

• Taught by:  Dr. Emma Gordon, Postdoctoral Researcher

  University of Edinburgh

Level Beginner Commitment 4 weeks of study, 3 levels of commitment: Learn (1.5h/week), Engage (3h/week), Go Further (3+h/week) Language English How To Pass Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. User Ratings 4.7 stars Average User Rating 4.7See what learners said Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

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Syllabus


WEEK 1


Getting Started



2 videos, 2 readings expand

1. Video: Trailer - Intellectual Humility: Science
2. Video: Series trailer
3. Reading: About this course
4. Reading: Course assessments and exercises
5. Discussion Prompt: Get to know your classmates

Humility, exploration, and the psychology of child development



Dr Cristine Legare argues that humility is intimately connected to a state of openness to new ideas, and looks at how we can foster this in children. It turns out that what psychologists say makes kids better at exploring, explaining and being open, is not necessarily how they're taught at school!


5 videos, 5 readings, 3 practice quizzes expand

1. Reading: Before you begin...
2. Video: Ian introduces Module 1
3. Practice Quiz: Initial thoughts
4. Video: Introduction
5. Video: Learning and explanation
6. Video: Inconsistency, explanation and belief revision
7. Video: Implications for child education
8. Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz
9. Reading: Optional companion book
10. Reading: "How Do We Become Intellectually Humble?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson (recommended)
11. Reading: "How Do We Develop and Maintain Humility?" by Bob Roberts (recommended)
12. Practice Quiz: Reading quiz on "How Do We Develop and Maintain Humility?" by Bob Roberts
13. Discussion Prompt: Do your experiences support the claim that we need a balance of the two drives of confirmation bias and discovery?
14. Discussion Prompt: Do you learn more when you explain events as opposed to just receiving feedback about the accuracy of your predictions?
15. Discussion Prompt: Can you think of other experiments that would test Dr. Legare's hypothesis?
16. Discussion Prompt: What kinds of contexts and information do you find motivate children to revise their beliefs?
17. Reading: "Confirmation Bias: A Ubiquitous Phenomenon in Many Guises" by Raymond S. Nickerson (further reading)

Graded: Module Quiz
Graded: Back to school

WEEK 2


What makes us arrogant? Biases, heuristics and cognitive psychology
Professor Frank Keil discusses a number of biases which we all have, and which can make us more arrogant and dogmatic by leading us to think that we know more than we actually do. Can you find examples of those biases in the news, and perhaps even in yourself?


7 videos, 6 readings, 4 practice quizzes expand

1. Video: Ian introduces Module 2
2. Video: Introduction
3. Video: Humility, arrogance, and base rate neglect
4. Video: Developmental over-optimism
5. Practice Quiz: Rose-coloured biases in action
6. Video: The illusion of explanatory depth
7. Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz
8. Video: Illusions of argument justification and insight
9. Video: Illusions of the outsourced mind
10. Practice Quiz: examples of biases
11. Reading: "What Can Human Cognition Tell Us About Intellectual Humility?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson (recommended)
12. Reading: "Searching for Explanations: How the Internet Inflates Estimates of Internal Knowledge" by Matthew Fisher et al. (recommended)
13. Practice Quiz: Reading quiz on "What Can Human Cognition Tell Us About Intellectual Humility?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson
14. Discussion Prompt: How could Professor Keil's model be expanded or adapted to include intellectual servility?
15. Discussion Prompt: Can you think of any other effective ways to test the illusion of explanatory depth?
16. Discussion Prompt: How should we combat reach-around effects?
17. Discussion Prompt: Does the Internet make us more humble, or more arrogant?
18. Discussion Prompt: How can we reduce intellectual arrogance without making people feel terrible about what they know?
19. Reading: "The Illusion of Argument Justification" by Matthew Fisher and Frank Keil (further reading)
20. Reading: "Overestimation of Knowledge About Word Meanings: The 'Misplaced Meaning' Effect" by Jonathan Kominsky and Frank Keil (further reading)
21. Reading: "The Misunderstood Limits of Folk Science: An Illusion of Explanatory Depth" by Leonid Rozenblit and Frank Keil (further reading)
22. Reading: "Overoptimism about future knowledge: Early Arrogance?" by Lockhart et al. (further reading)

Graded: Examples of biases
Graded: Module Quiz

WEEK 3


Dogmatism and open-mindedness in politics, religion, and life



Professor Victor Ottati (like Dr. Legare before) thinks that humility has a lot to do with being open to new ideas and to things we disagree with. He shows how our ability to be open-minded is related to our personal traits and to specific situations. How open-minded do you think you are about politics, religion, and any other ideas you disagree with?


9 videos, 3 readings, 4 practice quizzes expand

1. Video: Ian introduces Module 3
2. Practice Quiz: Initial thoughts
3. Video: Open-minded cognition
4. Video: Open-minded cognition: relations with other constructs
5. Video: The flexible merit standard model
6. Video: Message tenability effect
7. Practice Quiz: Untenable messages
8. Video: The reciprocal nature of open-minded cognition
9. Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz
10. Video: The earned dogmatism effect
11. Video: The attitude justification effect
12. Video: Concluding remarks
13. Reading: "Are Some People Born Humble?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson (recommended)
14. Practice Quiz: Reading quiz on "Are Some People Born Humble?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson
15. Reading: The Big 5 Personality Test
16. Discussion Prompt: How should we reduce stereotyping and prejudice?
17. Discussion Prompt: Is it surprising that Ottati's research found older people are not more dogmatic?
18. Discussion Prompt: How can we improve the impact that education has on cultivating open-mindedness?
19. Discussion Prompt: Can you think of an example of a situation in which open-mindedness does not seem virtuous or desirable?
20. Reading: "When Self-Perceptions of Expertise Increase Closed-Minded Cognition: The Earned Dogmatism Effect" by Ottati et al. (further reading)

Graded: Module Quiz
Graded: Open-mindedness in public discourse and life

WEEK 4


Humility, emotions and human relations: a view from social psychology



Professor Vasu Reddy suggests that in understanding humility, we should focus on emotions rather than on reason; on what humility feels like, not how we understand it. Humility, she says, is not a special, lofty virtue - it's a commonplace, everyday thing, and it's about being open to engagement with others. Could this help you bring more humility to your daily interactions?


8 videos, 2 readings, 4 practice quizzes expand

1. Video: Ian introduces Module 4
2. Practice Quiz: Quiz: Initial thoughts
3. Video: Why not intellectualise?
4. Video: Towards engagement: seeing the other as a person
5. Video: Towards engagement: being involved
6. Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz
7. Video: Towards engagement: not focusing on the self
8. Video: Towards engagement: Dialogue, value and difference
9. Practice Quiz: Deceptive self-justification
10. Video: An exploratory study
11. Video: Conclusions
12. Reading: "How Do Emotions Affect Our Ability to Be Intellectually Humble?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson (recommended)
13. Practice Quiz: Reading quiz on "How Do Emotions Affect Our Ability to Be Intellectually Humble?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson
14. Discussion Prompt: Evaluate this quote: “Moral emotions and intuitions drive moral reasoning, just as surely as a dog wags its tail.”
15. Discussion Prompt: Reddy says the starting point for dialogue is difference, not similarity. Do you agree?
16. Discussion Prompt: What do you think of Professor Reddy's exploratory study? Do you see any limitations, or particular strong points?
17. Discussion Prompt: Do you have further thoughts to add to Professor Reddy's discussion of how engagement and humility relate?
18. Reading: "The role of emotional engagement in lecturer-student interaction and the impact on academic outcomes of student achievement and learning" by Vathsala Sagayadevan and Senthu Jeyaraj (further reading)

Graded: Module Quiz

End of course assignments



5 readings expand

1. Reading: Before you finish...
2. Peer Review: Identify a bias in the news and say what it is doing
3. Reading: Show what you learned by editing the Wikipedia entry on intellectual humility!
4. Reading: A brief How-To
5. Discussion Prompt: Wikipedia Edit-a-thon discussions
6. Reading: Intellectual Humility: Theory
7. Reading: Intellectual Humility: Practice (coming in Autumn 2017)