Intellectual humility, the value of listening to new ideas

Often, We can make the mistake of thinking that our point of view is the most correct and that we are possessors of the absolute truth. Sometimes we can even hold the strong conviction that we are experts on a topic and that no one knows more than us – or, at least, that we know more than the people around us.

Whether due to years of experience, dedication to the study of a specific topic or simply “because it is like that” -as many claim-, we leave no room for doubt. We lock ourselves in our convictions and it is impossible to get out of there. It’s as if we had been awarded the universal expert award and any objection they make to us we label as nonsense.

It’s funny how, sometimes, we cling so much to the belief that we know everything about a topic. Or maybe not, maybe we are one of those who prefer to navigate the ocean of indecision or, at least, to be open to what others can tell us. The point is that, be it others or us, Intellectual humility is often conspicuous by its absence. Let’s dig deeper.

What is intellectual humility?

We have this bad habit of overestimating how much we know. We cling to what we believe and despise what others offer us. Instead of seeing a possibility of enrichment, what we see is an attack. In general, we believe that we are better or more correct than others, something that can be observed more clearly in political, religious contexts, and even when talking about lifestyles.

In relation to this ability to voluntarily put on a blindfold to be intellectually blind, journalist and writer Ryszard Kapuściński stated: “If among the many truths you choose only one and blindly pursue it, it will become a falsehood, and you will become a fanatic.“. And he was right. Enslaving ourselves to a belief and granting it the power of absolute truth hinders change and impedes our personal and social growth. In short, it limits us.

Against this background, it seems that scientists have discovered – or rather have brought to light again – a concept – or antidote – known as intellectual humility. It is about the ability to be flexible in the field of knowledge, that is, 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.

Origins of the concept of intellectual humility

Now, this concept that, at first glance, seems so novel, It has its roots in Socrates and later in the philosopher and theologian Nicholas of Cusa.

At work Dialogues From Plato we can see how Socrates was in a constant search for the truth and recognized his ignorance as the starting point to find that truth. In fact, one of his most famous phrases is “True wisdom lies in recognizing one’s own ignorance.“As for Nicholas of Cusa, we can rescue his work The learned ignorance to understand the presence of intellectual humility in his thinking. Thus, the philosopher thought that Due to human limitations – or cognitive limitations – the wise man cannot reach absolute knowledge. no matter how much you want it. In this way, he is aware that he does not know more than he knows. Of course, he is aware of it, therefore it is learned and from there the learned ignorance.

As we can see, intellectual humility has been with us for a long time. This capacity is configured as that midpoint between believing you know everything, or on the contrary, nothing; That is, it mediates between intellectual arrogance, characterized by rigid minds, and intellectual cowardice resulting from extreme shyness.

Rigid minds: the illusion of knowing everything

Being humble on an intellectual level is being able to recognize that we do not know everything. and that what we think we know may be wrong. Now, why is there so much intellectual egocentrism today?

Although personal traits may be most responsible, according to University of California psychologist Tania Lambrozo, Technology increases the illusion of knowledge.

Have access to any type of information with just One click creates the illusion that we have infinite knowledge about anything at our disposal. What’s more, if we add to this the ease of remembering an image, word or information on a specific topic, the impression that we have learned it successfully will be much greater.

On the other hand, Mental rigidity is one of the personality traits most related to intellectual egocentrism. It is about that tendency to discard approaches or ideas other than one’s own in order to accommodate oneself and lock oneself behind the bars of one’s own mental schemes. It would be that person who tries to adapt the world to his way of thinking, instead of the other way around.

This mental rigidity usually originates from an excessive need for cognitive closure, that is, by the desire to eliminate any vestige of uncertainty coming from a thought or situation, since this would imply not having control of the situation. Let us remember that uncertainty is one of the greatest enemies of human beings…

How to cultivate intellectual humility

We must be willing to learn about other perspectives, other arguments and, of course, embrace changes. Because The ideas that we considered correct yesterday may be wrong today or fall short, who knows. But how to do it?

Although there are several strategies that allow us to cultivate intellectual humility and which we will see below, it is essential to be aware that we have to silence and dethrone our ego. To do this, it is necessary to admit that, sometimes, we are victims of cognitive biases and slaves to the belief that we harbor fewer prejudices than others.

Opinions, both our own and those of others, vary depending on the circumstances and ultimately on us. Because How many times have you surprised yourself doing or saying something that you didn’t even think about a while ago? Think about it.

Thus, if we want to plant the seed of mental flexibility to cultivate the fruit of intellectual humility we can:

Accept that we make mistakes, that we may be confused.Practice active listening. That is, freeing our mind from thoughts when another person speaks to us and putting all our attention on what they want to tell us. To do this we will have to fight against our tendency to prepare what we are going to say to him while he talks to us.Respect other points of view. We do not always have to agree with what other people tell us, however this does not mean that we do not respect their opinions. Often, we battle in a war that rarely has a winner: the one in which we try hard to convince the other; In fact, what usually happens is quite the opposite. The other clings more to his ideas and we to ours. Hence knowing when to stop is totally necessary.Be willing to learn from others. Flexibility and curiosity, the two fundamental ingredients for learning and fighting against rigidity. Because if we don’t learn from others, who are we going to learn from?Question us from time to time. An exercise to develop intellectual humility is to question our beliefs and, above all, our need to be right. Why do we always want to have it? The answer to this question can give us the key.Travel or learn about other cultures. Discovering other lifestyles, other conceptions and visions of reality, even if it shocks us at first, is still a way to broaden our perspectives. In addition, it is a good way to train our brain to be open to searching for alternatives.

The most important scientist of the 20th century, Albert Einstein, whose IQ was 160, also had the concept of intellectual humility in mind. Proof of this is his statement “A true genius admits he knows nothing“. Like Benjamin Franklin, who before starting a discussion used to express: “Maybe I was wrong, but…”

As we see, Intellectual humility is a good ally to fight against clinging to our beliefs and continue growing on a personal and social level. The key that opens the door to learning, the antidote to arrogance and that reminds us that the keys to our relationships are not found in imposition or demands, but in understanding, flexibility, respect and the resulting enrichment. to know other points of view.

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