“Intellectual Humility” vs. Intellectual Ambitiousness

In this episode of New Ideal Live, Ben Bayer is joined by professor and clinical psychologist Gena Gorlin to discuss the widespread notion that “intellectual humility” is the rational antidote to dogmatism.

Among the topics covered:
● How academic and popular defenders of reason have mixed up a legitimate concern for careful thinking methods with the illegitimate idea that nothing is certain;
● Why humility entails servility, despite failed attempts to reconcile it with the love of truth;
● Why intellectual ambitiousness demands working hard to attain knowledge;
● The difference between earned certainty, probability, and the false certainty claimed by religious mystics;
● How intellectual humility discourages people from being intellectually and professionally ambitious in their own lives;
● Why it is important to know when you are not certain, and how to deal with real uncertainty.

Mentioned in this podcast and relevant to the discussion are “‘Intellectual Humility’ is a Copout” (https://genagorlin.substack.com/p/int...) by Gena Gorlin, “The Old Morality of the New Religions” (https://newideal.aynrand.org/the-old-...) by Ben Bayer, and entries in the Ayn Rand Lexicon on humility (https://courses.aynrand.org/lexicon/h...) and pride (https://courses.aynrand.org/lexicon/p....

This episode was recorded on May 24, 2023.

0:00:00 Introduction
0:01:12 Thinking methods vs. “nothing is certain”
0:10:15 Humility and servility
0:17:47 Intellectual ambitiousness and hard work
0:25:34 Earned vs. religious certainty
0:35:32 Consequences of intellectual humility
0:42:09 Dealing with real uncertainty


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