As part of a larger body of work to explore “the Science of Intellectual Humility,” a joint-research team has investigated the differences between two types of humility. The two types are each characterized by a cluster of traits: general humility by social traits, and intellectual humility by a composite of traits that add up to a love of learning.
“We were happy to discover that intellectual humility seems to be a concept that has its own place in the minds of the general population distinct from general humility,” Peter Samuelson, post-doctoral researcher in psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary and lead study author, told The Speaker about the work.
“By the same token, there are many shared characteristics between an generally humble person and an intellectually humble person in the folk conception (such as modesty) which we expected. What surprised us from the study was that intellectual humility is distinctly tied together with love of learning, curiosity, and a desire to seek the truth. These were not words used to describe a wise person and seem unique characteristics of an intellectually humble person in the folk mind.”
The research team undertook a bottom-up study of the meaning of humility, and found two clusters of traits associated with humility in the minds of participants. One type of humility, called “socially humble,” included traits like sincerity, honesty, unselfishness, thoughtfulness and maturity. The other type, called “intellectually humble,” had to do with a love of learning. Curious, bright, logical and aware were among the traits in this cluster.
Samuelson explained the distinction between general and intellectual humility, which can lead to a greater desire to learn new things from other people.
“While we did not test the difference between intellectual and general humility in the folk understanding (we compared ideas the general public had of an intellectually humble person, a wise person, and an intellectually arrogant person), the main distinction is that intellectual humility uniquely impacts how a person learns and acquires new knowledge.
“While characteristics of general humility may help a person be willing to learn from others and open to new knowledge, the unique characteristics of intellectual humility–such as an understanding of the limits of one’s knowledge, a search for the truth, a love of learning, among others–can motivate learning beyond what general humility can. It should be no surprise that the ‘intellectual’ aspects of intellectual humility are what make it distinct from general humility and that some of the social aspects (modesty, not bragging, being considerate, being friendly) are shared between the two forms of humility in the folk mind.”
Samuelson explained how a greater understanding of what constitutes intellectual humility could lead to improvements in people’s lives–in particular, he commented on a need to benefit from each others’ differences in a time when people have the option to tune out those who disagree.
“According to the understanding held by the broadly representative sample of the general population we surveyed–cultivating the virtue of intellectual humility could help enhance a lifelong love of learning and could bolster curiosity and truth seeking, as well as help people be open to engaging others in those endeavors and thereby promote a more collaborative and civil search for truth.
“These qualities are sorely needed in an era when in every sector of our society people seem quite sure they are right and those who disagree with them are wrong (intellectual arrogance), who seem to want to listen to people who will only confirm what they already know. Developing the virtue of intellectual humility will not only help us learn, but also help us collaborate and learn from each other, and could move the needle toward more civil discourse in our society and ultimately finding the best solutions to our intractable problems.”
The report, “Implicit theories of intellectual virtues and vices: A focus on intellectual humility,” was completed by Peter L. Samuelson, Matthew J. Jarvinen, Thomas B. Paulus, Ian M. Church, Sam A. Hardy, Justin L. Barrett, and was published in the Journal of Positive Psychology. The research is part of a larger grant from the John Templeton Foundation to study “the Science of Intellectual Humility,” and was housed at the Thrive Center for Human Development at Fuller School of Psychology in Pasadena, CA.
Thank you for posting this article written by my colleague, Dr. Peter Samuelson. Reading it moves me into self-reflection about my own intellectual humility and what things I may need to adjust in order to not be or seem intellectually arrogant. This research needs to be widely distributed and embraced so that we can move away from the intellectual arrogance that hinders much of the good that should be happening in the earth.