Intellectual Humility Is an Antidote to Misbelief

Intellectual humility is the ability to recognize that one's own beliefs and opinions might be incorrect. It is the opposite of intellectual arrogance and is characterized by an openness to new evidence, a willingness to change one's mind, and a respect for differing viewpoints.

Key aspects of intellectual humility include:

• Acknowledging Fallibility: Recognizing the limits of one's own knowledge and the possibility of being wrong.
• Openness to Revision: Being willing to change one's position on important issues when presented with good reasons.
• Separating Ego from Ideas: Not feeling personally attacked when one's beliefs are challenged.
• Valuing Others' Perspectives: Respecting that others can have valid points, even in disagreement.

Role in Counteracting Misbelief

A lack of intellectual humility is strongly correlated with a higher belief in conspiracy theories, fake news, and pseudoscience. People who are low in intellectual humility are more likely to:

• Trust their own intuitions and "gut feelings" over external evidence.
• Dismiss experts and evidence that contradict their views.
• Become entrenched in their beliefs, refusing to consider alternatives.

Cultivating intellectual humility—for example, by adopting a growth mindset about intelligence or by actively arguing against one's own positions—is a crucial practice for resisting the pull of the The Funnel of Misbelief.

Tags: #psychology #cognition #intellectual-humility #humility #openness #belief #misbelief