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Intellectual Humility: Practice
  • Level Foundation
  • Duration 19 hours
  • Course by The University of Edinburgh
  • Offered by

About

We live in a polarised world where all too often people talk past each other. But do you know when to believe what others say? For example, how quick should we be to accept something that someone else tells us is true, and what should we be looking out for when assessing a person's trustworthiness? Meanwhile, what should we do when we encounter disagreements with people who seem to be our equals? How and when should we adjust our beliefs, and how does the appropriate response vary depending on the evidence? These challenges may be especially important in the arena of religious disagreements. How should we weigh the evidence for and against various theistic and atheistic stances? Experts in psychology, philosophy, theology 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 applied issues surrounding intellectual humility: • Should you believe what people say? • How should we handle disagreement? • What is the role of evidence in resolving religious disagreements? 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. Before, we considered how to define and measure intellectual humility, what intellectual virtue is, whether we are born or can become humble, and what cognition and emotions can tell us about intellectual humility. 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: Science - https://www.coursera.org/learn/intellectual-humility-science Check out our trailer to hear more - https://youtu.be/x_CWjrYxKZU.

Modules

The following materials will introduce you to this course and help you prepare.

    • 1 Videos
    • 3 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
Show info about module content

1 Discussions

  • Get to know your classmates

1 Videos

  • Trailer - Intellectual Humility: Practice

3 Readings

  • About this course
  • Course assessments and exercises
  • Optional companion book

Introduction to the module

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Readings
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Initial thoughts

1 Videos

  • Ian introduces Module 1

1 Readings

  • Before you begin...

LEARN: Should you believe what people say? (Professor Peter Graham)

    • 7 Videos
    • 4 Assignment
Show info about module content

4 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz
  • Feels good to be right?
  • Your examples of fears and biases
  • Module quiz

7 Videos

  • Introduction to testimony
  • Trust and scepticism
  • The evolutionary background of trust
  • Reconciling testimony with what we already believe
  • The right, the wrong, and the humble
  • Humility, fear and bias
  • Humility and confidence

ENGAGE: Readings and Discussions

    • 3 Readings
    • 4 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Reading quiz on "Can You Believe What You Hear?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson

4 Discussions

  • How would you evaluate the Humean view of trust?
  • Can you think of some good examples of fear leading to confirmation bias?
  • What do you think would help you be more open to the possibility of being wrong when you encounter disagreement?
  • Can you think of further aspects of a person’s presentation that increase/decrease the chances of their being believed?

3 Readings

  • "Can You Believe What You Hear?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson (recommended)
  • Jennifer Saul on Implicit Bias (recommended podcast)
  • Daniel Kahneman on Bias (recommended)

GO FURTHER

    • 4 Readings
Show info about module content

4 Readings

  • "Social Knowledge and Social Norms" by Peter Graham (further reading)
  • "Knowledge, Assertion and Humility" by Emma C. Gordon and J. Adam Carter (further reading)
  • Miranda Fricker on Epistemic Injustice (further podcast)
  • "On Testimony and Transmission" by J. Adam Carter and Philip J. Nickel (further reading)

Introduction to the module

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Your initial thoughts

1 Videos

  • Ian introduces Module 2

LEARN: How should we handle disgareement? (Professor Catherine Elgin)

    • 3 Videos
    • 5 Assignment
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5 Assignment

  • Practice Quiz
  • Back to last week
  • The disagreements you know
  • The dimensions in your example
  • Module quiz

3 Videos

  • Introduction to disagreement
  • Disagreement between equals
  • Dimensions of reasonable disagreement

ENGAGE: Readings and Discussions

    • 2 Readings
    • 4 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Reading quiz on "How Should We Handle Disagreement?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson

4 Discussions

  • Did your initial thoughts on why reasonable people can disagree match Professor Elgin's analysis?
  • Can you come up with some examples of when we should take the steadfast route in the face of disagreement?
  • How do you approach judging whether the person you're disagreeing with is your epistemic equal?
  • Professor Elgin points out a range of dimensions along which disagreement may occur. Can you think of any others?

2 Readings

  • "How Should We Handle Disagreement?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson (recommended)
  • "The Epistemic Significance of Disagreement" by Thomas Kelly (recommended)

GO FURTHER

    • 5 Readings
Show info about module content

5 Readings

  • "Reasonable Disagreement" by Catherine Elgin (further reading)
  • "The Epistemology of Testimony" by Duncan Pritchard (further reading)
  • "Philosophical Peer Disagreement" by Nicolás Lo Guercio (further reading)
  • "The Epistemology of Disagreement" (video discussion between Roy Sorensen and David Christensen).
  • "Intellectual Humility, Knowledge-How and Disagreement" by Duncan Pritchard and J. Adam Carter (further reading)

Introduction to the module

    • 1 Videos
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Initial thoughts

1 Videos

  • Ian introduces Module 3

LEARN

    • 7 Videos
    • 4 Assignment
Show info about module content

4 Assignment

  • Good disagreement
  • Practice Quiz
  • Evidence weighting in disagreement
  • Module Quiz

7 Videos

  • Introduction
  • Biases and evidence-weighting
  • Three evidence-weighting policies
  • Assessing privatism
  • Assessing publicism
  • Assessing egalitarianism
  • Improving egalitarianism

ENGAGE: Readings and Discussions

    • 2 Readings
    • 4 Discussion
    • 1 Assignment
Show info about module content

1 Assignment

  • Reading quiz on "What Does Intellectual Humility Tell Us About Religion?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson

4 Discussions

  • What first comes to mind when you hear the phrase “good disagreement”? How would you define it?
  • Why do you think it is so difficult to resolve religious disagreements?
  • Can you think of an evidence-weighting policy that you prefer to the type of egalitarianism that Dormandy advances?
  • Can you think of any other conditions under which an epistemic interlocutor would be epistemically unviable?

2 Readings

  • "What Does Intellectual Humility Tell Us About Religion?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson (recommended)
  • "Faith and Reason" by Duncan Pritchard (recommended reading or viewing)

GO FURTHER

    • 3 Readings
Show info about module content

3 Readings

  • "Two Concepts of Intellectual Humility" by Jason Baehr (further viewing)
  • "Can There Be Religious Disagreement Between Epistemic Peers?" by Jennifer Lackey (further viewing)
  • "Scepticism and Implicit Bias" by Jennifer Saul (further reading)

ENGAGE

    • 1 Readings
    • 1 PeerReview
Show info about module content

1 Peer Review

  • Identify an unproductive disagreement in the news and diagnose what is going wrong.

1 Readings

  • Before you finish...

GO FURTHER: Wikipedia Edit-a-thon!

    • 2 Readings
    • 1 Discussion
Show info about module content

1 Discussions

  • Wikipedia Edit-a-thon discussions

2 Readings

  • Show what you learned by editing the Wikipedia entry on intellectual humility!
  • A brief How-To

Interested? Would you like to learn more about this topic? Check out the other courses in the Intellectual Humility series!

    • 2 Readings
Show info about module content

2 Readings

  • TRAILER: Intellectual Humility: Theory
  • TRAILER: Intellectual Humility: Science

Survey

    • 1 Readings
Show info about module content

1 Readings

  • Post-Course Survey

Auto Summary

Explore the essential practice of Intellectual Humility in this engaging Health & Fitness course. Delve into questions about belief, disagreement, and evidence in religious contexts, guided by experts in psychology, philosophy, theology, and education. With a focus on practical application and real-world impact, this foundational course includes intriguing readings and assignments. Offered by Coursera, it spans 1140 minutes and is available through Starter and Professional subscriptions. Ideal for anyone seeking to navigate polarizing issues with sensitivity and openness.

Dr. Ian Church
Instructors

Dr. Ian Church

Professor Duncan Pritchard
Instructors

Professor Duncan Pritchard

Dr. Emma Gordon
Instructors

Dr. Emma Gordon