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Intellectual Humility: Science
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The University of Edinburgh

Intellectual Humility: Science

Dr. Ian Church
Professor Duncan Pritchard
Dr. Emma Gordon

Instructors: Dr. Ian Church

Instructors

Instructor ratings

We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.

4.5 (27 ratings)
Dr. Ian Church
Dr. Ian Church
The University of Edinburgh
3 Courses•47,259 learners
Professor Duncan Pritchard
Professor Duncan Pritchard
The University of Edinburgh
11 Courses•901,210 learners
Dr. Emma Gordon
Dr. Emma Gordon
The University of Edinburgh
3 Courses•47,259 learners

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6 modules
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

(183 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
2 weeks at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace
98%
Most learners liked this course

6 modules
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

(183 reviews)

Beginner level
No prior experience required
Flexible schedule
2 weeks at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace
98%
Most learners liked this course
  • About
  • Modules
  • Recommendations
  • Testimonials
  • Reviews

Skills you'll gain

  • Critical Thinking
  • Empathy
  • Self-Awareness
  • Personal Attributes
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Cognitive flexibility
  • Curiosity
  • Human Learning
  • Open Mindset

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Assessments

22 assignments¹

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Taught in English

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There are 6 modules in 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://kidlove.top/learn/intellectual-humility-theory • Intellectual Humility: Practice - https://kidlove.top/learn/intellectual-humility-practice

What's included

1 video2 readings1 discussion prompt

1 video•Total 1 minute
  • Trailer - Intellectual Humility: Science•1 minute•Preview module
2 readings•Total 10 minutes
  • About this course•5 minutes
  • Course assessments and exercises•5 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
  • Get to know your classmates•10 minutes

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!

What's included

5 videos5 readings5 assignments4 discussion prompts

5 videos•Total 25 minutes
  • Ian introduces Module 1•0 minutes•Preview module
  • Introduction•4 minutes
  • Learning and explanation•5 minutes
  • Inconsistency, explanation and belief revision•8 minutes
  • Implications for child education•5 minutes
5 readings•Total 35 minutes
  • Before you begin...•5 minutes
  • Optional companion book•5 minutes
  • "How Do We Become Intellectually Humble?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson (recommended)•10 minutes
  • "How Do We Develop and Maintain Humility?" by Bob Roberts (recommended)•5 minutes
  • "Confirmation Bias: A Ubiquitous Phenomenon in Many Guises" by Raymond S. Nickerson (further reading)•10 minutes
5 assignments•Total 110 minutes
  • Module Quiz•30 minutes
  • Back to school•15 minutes
  • Initial thoughts•5 minutes
  • Practice Quiz•30 minutes
  • Reading quiz on "How Do We Develop and Maintain Humility?" by Bob Roberts•30 minutes
4 discussion prompts•Total 60 minutes
  • Do your experiences support the claim that we need a balance of the two drives of confirmation bias and discovery?•15 minutes
  • Do you learn more when you explain events as opposed to just receiving feedback about the accuracy of your predictions?•15 minutes
  • Can you think of other experiments that would test Dr. Legare's hypothesis?•15 minutes
  • What kinds of contexts and information do you find motivate children to revise their beliefs?•15 minutes

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?

What's included

7 videos6 readings6 assignments5 discussion prompts

7 videos•Total 50 minutes
  • Ian introduces Module 2•1 minute•Preview module
  • Introduction•5 minutes
  • Humility, arrogance, and base rate neglect•8 minutes
  • Developmental over-optimism•7 minutes
  • The illusion of explanatory depth•9 minutes
  • Illusions of argument justification and insight•8 minutes
  • Illusions of the outsourced mind•10 minutes
6 readings•Total 60 minutes
  • "What Can Human Cognition Tell Us About Intellectual Humility?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson (recommended)•10 minutes
  • "Searching for Explanations: How the Internet Inflates Estimates of Internal Knowledge" by Matthew Fisher et al. (recommended)•10 minutes
  • "The Illusion of Argument Justification" by Matthew Fisher and Frank Keil (further reading)•10 minutes
  • "Overestimation of Knowledge About Word Meanings: The 'Misplaced Meaning' Effect" by Jonathan Kominsky and Frank Keil (further reading)•10 minutes
  • "The Misunderstood Limits of Folk Science: An Illusion of Explanatory Depth" by Leonid Rozenblit and Frank Keil (further reading)•10 minutes
  • "Overoptimism about future knowledge: Early Arrogance?" by Lockhart et al. (further reading)•10 minutes
6 assignments•Total 130 minutes
  • Examples of biases•15 minutes
  • Module Quiz•30 minutes
  • Rose-coloured biases in action•10 minutes
  • Practice Quiz•30 minutes
  • More examples of biases•15 minutes
  • Reading quiz on "What Can Human Cognition Tell Us About Intellectual Humility?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson•30 minutes
5 discussion prompts•Total 75 minutes
  • How could Professor Keil's model be expanded or adapted to include intellectual servility?•15 minutes
  • Can you think of any other effective ways to test the illusion of explanatory depth?•15 minutes
  • How should we combat reach-around effects?•15 minutes
  • Does the Internet make us more humble, or more arrogant?•15 minutes
  • How can we reduce intellectual arrogance without making people feel terrible about what they know?•15 minutes

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?

What's included

9 videos3 readings6 assignments4 discussion prompts

9 videos•Total 62 minutes
  • Ian introduces Module 3•0 minutes•Preview module
  • Open-minded cognition•7 minutes
  • Open-minded cognition: relations with other constructs•11 minutes
  • The flexible merit standard model•7 minutes
  • Message tenability effect•6 minutes
  • The reciprocal nature of open-minded cognition•8 minutes
  • The earned dogmatism effect•4 minutes
  • The attitude justification effect•10 minutes
  • Concluding remarks•4 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
  • "Are Some People Born Humble?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson (recommended)•10 minutes
  • The Big 5 Personality Test•10 minutes
  • "When Self-Perceptions of Expertise Increase Closed-Minded Cognition: The Earned Dogmatism Effect" by Ottati et al. (further reading)•10 minutes
6 assignments•Total 120 minutes
  • Module Quiz•30 minutes
  • Open-mindedness in public discourse and life•15 minutes
  • Initial thoughts•5 minutes
  • Untenable messages•10 minutes
  • Practice Quiz•30 minutes
  • Reading quiz on "Are Some People Born Humble?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson•30 minutes
4 discussion prompts•Total 60 minutes
  • How should we reduce stereotyping and prejudice?•15 minutes
  • Is it surprising that Ottati's research found older people are not more dogmatic?•15 minutes
  • How can we improve the impact that education has on cultivating open-mindedness?•15 minutes
  • Can you think of an example of a situation in which open-mindedness does not seem virtuous or desirable?•15 minutes

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?

What's included

8 videos3 readings5 assignments4 discussion prompts

8 videos•Total 70 minutes
  • Ian introduces Module 4•1 minute•Preview module
  • Why not intellectualise?•12 minutes
  • Towards engagement: seeing the other as a person•12 minutes
  • Towards engagement: being involved•4 minutes
  • Towards engagement: not focusing on the self•6 minutes
  • Towards engagement: Dialogue, value and difference•10 minutes
  • An exploratory study•10 minutes
  • Conclusions•11 minutes
3 readings•Total 30 minutes
  • Before you finish...•10 minutes
  • "How Do Emotions Affect Our Ability to Be Intellectually Humble?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson (recommended)•10 minutes
  • "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)•10 minutes
5 assignments•Total 130 minutes
  • Module Quiz•30 minutes
  • Quiz: Initial thoughts•30 minutes
  • Practice Quiz•30 minutes
  • Deceptive self-justification•10 minutes
  • Reading quiz on "How Do Emotions Affect Our Ability to Be Intellectually Humble?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson•30 minutes
4 discussion prompts•Total 45 minutes
  • Evaluate this quote: “Moral emotions and intuitions drive moral reasoning, just as surely as a dog wags its tail.”•10 minutes
  • Reddy says the starting point for dialogue is difference, not similarity. Do you agree?•10 minutes
  • What do you think of Professor Reddy's exploratory study? Do you see any limitations, or particular strong points?•15 minutes
  • Do you have further thoughts to add to Professor Reddy's discussion of how engagement and humility relate?•10 minutes

What's included

5 readings1 peer review1 discussion prompt

5 readings•Total 50 minutes
  • Show what you learned by editing the Wikipedia entry on intellectual humility!•10 minutes
  • A brief How-To•10 minutes
  • TRAILER: Intellectual Humility: Theory•10 minutes
  • TRAILER: Intellectual Humility: Practice•10 minutes
  • Post-Course Survey•10 minutes
1 peer review•Total 120 minutes
  • Identify a bias in the news and say what it is doing•120 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
  • Wikipedia Edit-a-thon discussions•10 minutes

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Instructors

Instructor ratings

Instructor ratings

We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.

4.5 (27 ratings)
Dr. Ian Church
Dr. Ian Church
The University of Edinburgh
3 Courses•47,259 learners
Professor Duncan Pritchard
Professor Duncan Pritchard
The University of Edinburgh
11 Courses•901,210 learners
Dr. Emma Gordon
Dr. Emma Gordon
The University of Edinburgh
3 Courses•47,259 learners

Offered by

The University of Edinburgh

Offered by

The University of Edinburgh

Edinburgh. Extraordinary futures await. Ranked in the top 50 universities in the world, the University of Edinburgh has been a leader in digital education since the earliest days of online learning. Embracing the technological and pedagogical opportunities of our digital age, the University provides an outstanding online distance learning experience as part of our commitment to making learning accessible to all. Whatever excites you, whatever your ambition, whatever makes you ‘you’, we know one thing; nothing ordinary comes from this extraordinary place.

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H
HK
5

Reviewed on Jul 24, 2017

Thank you for challenging me to become a person of intellectual humility.

D
DP
5

Reviewed on Apr 29, 2018

I believe this course is very important. I am sorry because most scientists, albeit their education, do not even know what intellectual humility is.

N
NP
5

Reviewed on Jul 30, 2020

A great course to improve yourself. In needs to be introduced in UG level students of all disciplines.

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