Systematizing Intellectual Empathy
Friday October 13, 2023 11:00 a.m. ET
Presented in partnership with AILACT.
Abstract:
“Intellectual charity” refers to a set of skills that students— especially undergraduates studying philosophy— are expected to use when engaging new and controversial arguments. To demonstrate intellectual charity, students are expected to (among other things): listen carefully, represent opposing arguments in a favorable light, show intellectual humility about their own ideas, and so on. Despite its complexity, until now the skills and steps of intellectual charity haven’t been systemized for structured, focused learning. Instead, students often learn how to be charitable by engaging in a series of classroom discussions with faculty who model charity, and by receiving feedback on assessments like essays in which students are expected to represent arguments charitably. How can we systematize intellectual charity for wider and more accessible and equitable learning? This talk will discuss a recent collaboration between edTech leaders, philosophers, and lifelong educators to clarify and systematize the skills of intellectual empathy— our approach to intellectually charitable reading and listening.