The value of intellectual humility

It is a much appreciated quality at the workplace. Why not try to develop it in the classroom?
Every year, dozens of books are written about how to succeed in the workplace or how to get hired by the top
corporations, and many of these books race their way into the non-fiction bestseller lists. These books feed our
anxieties about our own success, our doubts about which routes to take and what we need to do as we move
along a chosen path. Most juggle the same themes and present them in different combinations, and we take the
formula that seems to work for us at a particular time. They talk about domain knowledge (a good grasp of our
subject), problem-solving and analytical abilities, communication skills, and leadership qualities, among other
things. But the book Work Rules! by Laszlo Bock, Googles head of People Operations (Google-speak for Human
Resources), mentions one other factor that makes one a promising candidate intellectual humility.
We all know what humility is the acceptance of human limitations, the sense that we are not, and can never be,
perfect. Intellectual humility, similarly, is about the acceptance of the limitations of ones own knowledge, and
the willingness to learn from others. To paraphrase Bock, it is also about not attributing success solely to ones
own brilliance, and failure to others stupidity. Many scholars who have studied this characteristic say that
someone who is intellectually humble is a better learner, because she/he is always curious and willing to ask
questions and seek further explanation. In other words, being intellectually humble means you are conscious
that there is so much more to learn than you may have been exposed to so far.
Willingness to change
We are generally taught that it is good to be sure about something, to have firm ideas about work, life and
ourselves. Intellectual humility, on the other hand, makes us less certain. Drawing from Socrates, scholar
Richard Paul suggests that there are two things that make up intellectual humility: the first is the acceptance of
the limits of ones knowledge and the second is the awareness of ones own biases, prejudices and mental habits.
Those who have the trait will be more likely to accept mistakes and learn from them. So, instead of sticking to a
particular point or belief, if they are presented with evidence to the contrary, they are willing to change their
minds. Those who are intellectually humble will have no problem accepting they were wrong, or that they have
changed their mind about something, because they begin with the assumption that they dont always have to be
right.
At the same time, it does not mean that you are uncertain or doubtful about everything. Paul and others say that
it is about holding on to a belief or an idea with as much firmness as the thing demands. There are certain
things that you can be very firm about such as the number of vertebrae in the spinal column, or the name of
the editor of a particular newspaper. But there are other things for which knowledge is constantly evolving
through a process of questioning, answering, examining the answer, and then questioning again. And there are
others where perspective or viewpoint makes all the difference someone who has experienced something
would have insights that another person may not.
The value of intellectual humility is best seen in team work, or in addressing problems that demand complex and
multi-disciplinary solutions. It allows you to listen to different points of view, respect others expertise and
knowledge, and recognise the gaps in your own, so that you can work together to arrive at that solution.
How do we cultivate intellectual humility? Is it at all possible? In a culture that places a premium on being
right, how do we get comfortable with the idea that we can be wrong, or, more appropriately, that being right
draws on more knowledge than it is possible for one person to have at any given point? Clearly, it is not easy,
particularly because of the competitive nature of so much of our education we are constantly focused on
proving that we know more and know it better than our peers. Instead, what if we told ourselves that it is really
about understanding concepts rather than performing to a certain standard? That would remove the competitive
pressure and allow us instead to focus on learning rather than doing. Suppose we told ourselves that it is about
addressing the problem rather than proving we are correct? Then we focus on the solution rather than our
contribution to it. Of course, if we have examples of such an attitude, it makes all the difference so a teacher

DAV CENTENARY PUBLIC SCHOOL, PASCHIM ENCLAVE, NEW DELHI-110087

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who is not afraid of making mistakes, in fact one who acknowledges the mistake and discusses it, is a good
example of intellectual humility.
It is a challenge to try to develop a characteristic that is valued in the workplace but not really in the classroom.
But then, so much of our journey outside school and college ends up being a process of unlearning the attitudes
we have unconsciously acquired. Knowing this, maybe we can start that process a little earlier?

DAV CENTENARY PUBLIC SCHOOL, PASCHIM ENCLAVE, NEW DELHI-110087

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