Intellectual humility includes owning your own biases and the possibility that you’re wrong about your beliefs or worldview. It means being open to changing your mind in response to new information.
Feet of a person with lymphatic filariasis, also known as elephantiasis.
WHO
In rural Ghana, only 18% of patients believe elephantiasis is a disease. Some others think it is caused by curses or even rain. Only by understanding local beliefs can it be treated effectively.
Good thinking is built from many ingredients.
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Being open to the possibility you could be wrong about your beliefs is an important part of learning about the world. But this trait is not enough on its own.
Students often have the wrong idea about what their peers think is acceptable.
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Views on death and the afterlife vary from person to person and culture to culture. This course gives US Air Force cadets a broad perspective on mortality and its effects on people and society.
It can feel safer to block out contradictory information that challenges a belief.
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Here are some reasons for the natural human tendency to avoid or reject new information that runs counter to what you already know – and some tips on how to do better.
Most of us acquire our beliefs using a combination of research and social networks. Those social networks can provide false information.
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Instead of complacent acceptance of misinformed beliefs, we need institutional moves to cultivate trust between experts and the public.
Young women members of the Charles Manson family kneel on the sidewalk outside the Los Angeles at Hall of Justice March 29, 1971, with their heads shaved.
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What is the appeal of cults? How do they work? And what is the damage they do? A new book, by the creator of the podcast Let’s Talk About Sects, answers these questions and more.
Proponents claim the stones can promote health and well-being.
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Crystals are part of a larger tradition of metaphysical religions that have a long history in the U.S.
A protester holds a Q sign as he waits to enter a campaign rally with then-President Donald Trump in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., in August 2018.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
Overcoming conspiracy theories isn’t just about information. A scholar of religion explains that the emotions they inspire are part of their appeal.
However Rodgers came to his decision to remain unvaccinated, he did not follow the tenets of critical thinking.
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Joe Árvai, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Critical thinking means seeking out new information – especially facts that might run contrary to what you believe – and being willing to change your mind. And it’s a teachable skill.
Sticking to your beliefs in a rapidly changing world isn’t necessarily the best choice.
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People tend to stick with their stated beliefs. But here’s how external forces like vaccine mandates can push people to do something they don’t want to do – and provide some face-saving cover.
Some cultures champion rest more than others.
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Science denial is not new, but researchers have learned a lot about it. Here’s why it exists, how everyone is susceptible to it in one way or another and steps to take to overcome it.
Damaging a mirror was believed to invite the wrath of the gods in ancient cultures.
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In both ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, reflected images were thought to hold mysterious powers. Damaging a mirror was believed to invite the wrath of the gods.
Dana and David Dornsife Professor of Psychology and Director of the Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences