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.
Learners can apply for Financial Aid directly with Coursera to assist with the cost of accessing the full course and gaining a certificate for successfully completing the course.
Professor Peter Graham points out that a great deal of what we know, we know because other people told us. But can we always believe them? Should we be trusting, or sceptical? The truth lies somewhere in the middle. This lecture will offer you some guidelines on how to find it, and on how to avoid the pitfalls created by our fears, biases, and over-confidence.
Reconciling testimony with what we already believe•4 minutes
The right, the wrong, and the humble•6 minutes
Humility, fear and bias•11 minutes
Humility and confidence•6 minutes
8 readings•Total 73 minutes
Before you begin...•10 minutes
"Can You Believe What You Hear?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson (recommended)•10 minutes
Jennifer Saul on Implicit Bias (recommended podcast)•3 minutes
Daniel Kahneman on Bias (recommended)•5 minutes
"Social Knowledge and Social Norms" by Peter Graham (further reading)•15 minutes
"Knowledge, Assertion and Humility" by Emma C. Gordon and J. Adam Carter (further reading)•10 minutes
Miranda Fricker on Epistemic Injustice (further podcast)•10 minutes
"On Testimony and Transmission" by J. Adam Carter and Philip J. Nickel (further reading)•10 minutes
6 assignments•Total 145 minutes
Initial thoughts•30 minutes
Practice Quiz•30 minutes
Feels good to be right?•10 minutes
Reading quiz on "Can You Believe What You Hear?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson•30 minutes
Your examples of fears and biases•15 minutes
Module quiz•30 minutes
4 discussion prompts•Total 60 minutes
How would you evaluate the Humean view of trust?•15 minutes
Can you think of some good examples of fear leading to confirmation bias?•15 minutes
What do you think would help you be more open to the possibility of being wrong when you encounter disagreement?•15 minutes
Can you think of further aspects of a person’s presentation that increase/decrease the chances of their being believed?•15 minutes
HOW SHOULD WE HANDLE DISAGREEMENT?
Module 3•5 hours to complete
Module details
Resolving disagreements may seem easy when one person clearly knows more about the topic of disagreement than the other. But what about cases where both parties are equally knowledgable and capable - in other words, when they are intellectual equals? Professor Catherine Elgin discusses various strategies we can adopt, and helps us understand how people who have the same evidence and reasoning ability can still disagree.
"How Should We Handle Disagreement?" by Ian Church & Peter Samuelson (recommended)•10 minutes
"The Epistemic Significance of Disagreement" by Thomas Kelly (recommended)•15 minutes
"Reasonable Disagreement" by Catherine Elgin (further reading)•10 minutes
"The Epistemology of Testimony" by Duncan Pritchard (further reading)•10 minutes
"Philosophical Peer Disagreement" by Nicolás Lo Guercio (further reading)•10 minutes
"The Epistemology of Disagreement" (video discussion between Roy Sorensen and David Christensen).•5 minutes
"Intellectual Humility, Knowledge-How and Disagreement" by Duncan Pritchard and J. Adam Carter (further reading)•10 minutes
7 assignments•Total 130 minutes
Your initial thoughts•10 minutes
Practice Quiz•30 minutes
Back to last week•5 minutes
The dimensions in your example•10 minutes
Reading quiz on "How Should We Handle Disagreement?" by Ian Church and Peter Samuelson•30 minutes
The disagreements you know•15 minutes
Module quiz•30 minutes
4 discussion prompts•Total 60 minutes
Did your initial thoughts on why reasonable people can disagree match Professor Elgin's analysis?•15 minutes
Can you come up with some examples of when we should take the steadfast route in the face of disagreement?•15 minutes
How do you approach judging whether the person you're disagreeing with is your epistemic equal?•15 minutes
Professor Elgin points out a range of dimensions along which disagreement may occur. Can you think of any others?•15 minutes
RESOLVING RELIGIOUS DISAGEEMENTS: THE ROLE OF EVIDENCE
Module 4•5 hours to complete
Module details
Dr Katherine Dormandy explains why religious disagreements are so often particularly hard to resolve. Distinguishing between two types of evidence one can have in religious discussions - public and private - she evaluates three Evidence Weighting Policies we can use in determining how to approach others when talking about religion.
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AS
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Reviewed on Jan 20, 2018
well put together but very slow and limited in scope as expected
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LK
4·
Reviewed on Jun 26, 2018
Well structured. A bit of a slow start, but the third week is great and made up for it!
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IK
4·
Reviewed on Nov 3, 2022
Following theory and science, this course sheds light on the practical aspects of the intellectual humility, which is a relatively new area. Excellent initiative.
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