Philip E. Dow’s book Virtuous Minds discusses seven virtues that are essential for a person seeking intellectual development. Below is a quick summary of three of them. The seven are Intellectual Courage, Carefulness, Tenacity, Fair-mindedness, Curiosity, Honesty, and Humility.
“Honest thinking, for instance, almost always includes the likelihood of personal sacrifice and usually includes the frightening prospect of direct confrontation.”
Intellectual Courage
Intellectual courage is defined as those who earnestly want to know the truth and so consistently take risks in the pursuit of truth. They are willing to reconsider their own beliefs, even if this scares them. But once they have done so and come to a belief about what is true, they are willing to stick to their guns, even if the majority mocks or threatens them. (Intellectual cowardice is the corresponding vice.)
Intellectual courage is not necessarily the most important of the virtues, but it is indispensable. Take, for example, the apostle Paul and the other apostles who stood firm to the end and defended the faith they believed in. #notashamed (Romans 1:16)
Intellectual Carefulness
Intellectually careful people are those who earnestly want to know the truth and so consistently make sure not to rush to hasty conclusions based on limited evidence. They are patient and diligent in their thinking, careful that they do not overlook important details. (Intellectual hastiness is the corresponding vice.)
Another attribute is that they are reasonably and consistently careful not to overlook important details. They also habitually avoid hasty conclusions based on limited evidence. In their pursuit of knowledge, they demonstrate patience and diligence.
Intellectual Tenacity
Those who are intellectually tenacious earnestly want to know the truth, so they are consistently unwilling to give up when they find an assignment difficult or boring. Instead, they are determined to fight through the difficulty in order to gain a deeper understanding of the material. (Intellectual laziness is the corresponding vice.)
Intellectual Fair-mindedness
Those who are intellectually fair-minded earnestly want to know the truth, so they consistently listen in an even-handed way to differing opinions, even if they already have strong views on the subject. In addition, they attempt to view the issue from the perspective of those they disagree with, believing that they do not always have the most complete or accurate vantage point on a given issue. the intellectually fair-minded person “seeks to know, not to be right.” (Intellectual bias is the corresponding vice.)
The concept of fair-mindedness is based on a belief in an objective truth. Without the concept of objective truth, there is nothing to be either fair-minded or biased about.
Intellectual Curiosity
Intellectually curious people earnestly want to know the truth, so they are always asking why. They are not satisfied with the easy and simplistic answers, but have a desire to understand what makes it all work—at the foundational level. For them, learning is not simply a necessary evil (the means of getting a job and buying a house) but a lifelong quest full of mystery and joy. (Intellectual indifference is the corresponding vice.)
Intellectual Honesty
Intellectually honest people encourage the spread of truth, and consistently use information in an unbiased way. Realizing that the strength of any argument lies in the integrity of its evidence and logic, the intellectually honest person is careful not to use information taken out of context, to exaggerate, to distort, or to otherwise mislead using statistics or any other type of supporting evidence.
In addition, the intellectually honest person does not take credit for evidence or ideas that are not their own; they are careful to cite the work of others whenever it is used. (Intellectual dishonesty is the corresponding vice.)
Intellectual Humility
Intellectual humility is defined as those who earnestly want to know the truth, so they consistently recognize that they are sinful and capable of error. They are humble because they are aware that truth is not of their making but is God-breathed. They are also honest enough to admit the limitations of their own knowledge base and actually rejoice when they are proved wrong because it means they have grown in their understanding of God’s truth.
However, intellectually humble people are also aware that all people are sinful and limited in knowledge; thus, they are not willing to passively accept the opinions of others. They remain courageous in their passionate pursuit of truth despite admitting their limitations. (Intellectual arrogance is the corresponding vice.)
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