Intellectual Humility

Intellectual Humility

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Download a transcript version of The Easiest Quiz of All Time here.

So how'd you do? 100%? This quiz highlights that our assumptions are often incorrect. Even things we think we know—like really, really know—are incorrect.

In the October 2022 general conference, President Nelson counseled us to “[delight] in truth, [denounce] deception, and [become] ‘humble followers of Christ.’" In our search for wisdom, learning, and truth (see D&C 109:7), it's important to practice humility.

We want to share a few ideas with you that we’ve taken from Adam Grant’s book, Think Again. In this book, Grant has a proposition. He wants us to shift the way we think about learning: “Intelligence is traditionally viewed as the ability to think and learn. Yet in a turbulent world, there’s another set of skills that might matter more: the ability to rethink and unlearn” (2, emphasis ours).

Grant points out the irony that we so readily update trivial things like our clothes and phones, but we rarely update things as significant as our beliefs and world views. One of the problems with our current information climate is that people stubbornly stick to their beliefs. This leads to divisions, closed minds, and tensions. Watch the following video to learn about approaching learning with an open mind.

Download a transcript of the video here.

What Have We Learned?

• Research is not taking a stance and then simply finding sources to support it.
• Instead, research is learning. It is curiously asking questions and being open to finding the answers.
• Take time to search for truth. Be patient with yourself and the process. Be humble and enjoy the opportunity to learn about something that you find interesting.

For one-on-one help with this part of your assignment, visit a research consultant at the Research & Writing Center.