Intellectual Humility, The Courage To Listen To New Ideas

What is intellectual humility? Often we can make the mistake of thinking that our point of view is the most correct. And that we are the holders of the absolute truth. We may even, on occasion, have the firm belief that we are experts on a subject. And that no one knows more than us. Or, at least, that we know more than the people around us.

Whether it is because of years of experience, dedication to the study of a particular subject or simply “because it is so” – as many claim – we leave no room for doubt. We lock ourselves in our convictions and it is impossible to get out of them. It is as if we have received the Universal Expert Award. As if any objection made to us seemed absurd to us.

It is amazing how sometimes we hold on tight to the belief that we know everything about a subject. Or maybe not. Maybe we are those who prefer to navigate the ocean of indecision. Or at least be open to what others can tell us. The point is that, whether it is about others or about us, intellectual humility often shines in its absence. Go further.

What is intellectual humility?

We have a bad habit of overestimating what we know. We cling to what we believe and despise what others offer us. Instead of seeing an opportunity for enrichment, what we are seeing is an attack. In general, we think we are better or more right than others. This can be seen more clearly in political and religious contexts and even when talking about lifestyles.

Regarding this possibility of voluntarily putting on a blindfold to be intellectually blind, journalist and writer Ryszard Kapuściński said: “ If, among the many truths, you choose only one and blindly pursue it, it will become a lie, and you will become a fanatic ”. And he was right. Enslaving oneself to a belief and empowering it with the power of absolute truth hinders change. And prevents our personal and social growth. In short, it limits us.

Against this background, it seems scientists have discovered – or rather brought to light – a concept – or antidote – known as intellectual humility. It is the ability to be flexible in the area of ​​knowledge. To put it better, it is the ability to be open to new ideas.

Intellectual humility would be something like a tendency to be receptive to other perspectives, to accept that we are wrong, and to cultivate an open mind.

The origins of the concept of intellectual humility

However, this concept, which at first glance seems so new, has its roots in Socrates and later in the philosopher and theologian Nicholas de Cues.

• In Plato’s Dialogues we can see how Socrates was in constant search of the truth and recognized his ignorance as the starting point for the discovery of this truth. In fact, one of his most famous phrases is “ All I know is I don’t know anything ”

• As for Nicolas de Cues, we can cite his work De la learned ignorance to understand the presence of intellectual humility in his thought. So, the philosopher believed that due to human limitations – or cognitive limitations – the sages cannot attain absolute knowledge, no matter what they desire. Thus, he is aware that he ignores more than he knows. But he is aware of it, therefore he is educated, hence the learned ignorance

As we can see, intellectual humility has been around for a long time. This ability is configured as the midpoint between the belief that we know everything, or conversely, nothing ; that is to say, it is a midpoint between intellectual arrogance, characterized by rigid minds, and intellectual cowardice, the result of extreme shyness.

Rigid minds: the illusion of knowing everything

To be intellectually humble is to be able to recognize that we do not know everything and that what we think we know may be wrong. Why is there so much intellectual egocentrism today?

Although personal traits may be the main culprits, according to psychologist Tania Lambrozo of the University of California, technology increases the illusion of knowledge.

Having access to any type of information with a single click creates the illusion that we have infinite knowledge of all that is within our grasp. Moreover, if we add to this the ease of remembering a picture, word or information on a particular subject, the impression that we have successfully learned it will be much greater.

On the other hand, mental rigidity is one of the personality traits most closely related to intellectual egocentricity. It is the tendency to set aside approaches or ideas other than one’s own in order to accommodate and lock oneself behind bars of one’s own mental patterns. It would be this person who would try to adapt the world to their way of thinking, not the other way around.

• This mental rigidity usually stems from an excessive need for cognitive closure, that is, the desire to eliminate any vestige of uncertainty from a thought or situation, as this would imply not being in control. of the situation. Remember that uncertainty is one of the greatest enemies of human beings …

How to cultivate intellectual humility

We must be prepared to discover other perspectives, other arguments and, of course, to embrace change. Because ideas that we thought were good yesterday may or may not be wrong today, who knows. But how to do it ?

Although there are several strategies that allow us to cultivate intellectual humility, which we will see later, it is essential to be aware that we have to silence and dethrone our ego.

Opinions, our own and those of others, vary according to the circumstances and, ultimately, in our opinion. Because how many times have you been surprised to do or say something that you hadn’t even thought about a while ago? Think about it.

So, if we want to plant the seed of mental flexibility to cultivate the fruit of intellectual humility, here is how to do it:

• Accept that we make mistakes, that we can be confused
• Practice active listening. That is, freeing our minds from thoughts when another person is talking to us and putting our full attention on what they want to tell us. To do this, we will have to fight against this tendency that we have to prepare what we are going to say to her while she is talking to us.
• Respect other points of view. We don’t always have to agree with what others tell us. But that doesn’t mean we don’t respect their opinions. We often wage a war that rarely has a winner: one in which we try to convince the other. In reality, this often causes the opposite effect. The other clings more to his ideas and we to ours. That is why it is absolutely necessary to know when to stop

• Be prepared to learn from others. Flexibility and curiosity, the two fundamental ingredients for learning and for fighting against rigidity. Because if we don’t learn from others, who are we going to learn from?
• Question yourself from time to time. One exercise in developing intellectual humility is to question our beliefs and, above all, our need to be right. Why do we always want to be right? The answer to this question can give us the key
• Travel or discover other cultures. Discovering other ways of life, other conceptions and visions of reality, even if it may shock us at first, is one way to broaden our perspectives. In addition, it is a good way to train our brain to be open to looking for alternatives.

The most important scientist of the 20th century, Albert Einstein, whose IQ was 160, also had in mind the concept of intellectual humility. Proof of this is his statement “ A true genius admits he doesn’t know anything ”. Like Benjamin Franklin, who before starting a discussion said: “ I may be wrong, but… “.

As we can see, intellectual humility is a good ally to fight against clinging to our beliefs. And to continue to grow personally and socially. It is the key that opens the door to learning, the antidote to arrogance. It reminds us that the keys to our relationships are not found in imposition or demand. But in the understanding, flexibility, respect and enrichment resulting from knowing other points of view.