Group of people eating and talking, podcast episode about intellectual humility and critical thinking with Mark Leary, Ph.D. & Lee McIntyre, Ph.D.

Get Smart: Intellectual Humility and Critical Thinking

Original Air Date Wednesday, March 30, 2022

Research shows that most people believe themselves to be above average when it comes to most things. And, for some, being right has become less of a virtue and more of a defensive stance. Standing our ground on trivial issues may damage our relationships and make us more susceptible to disinformation campaigns.

To discover the strategies that help us to increase our critical thinking skills and our intellectual humility, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host, Lisa Cypers Kamen, speaks with two experts about their work in what motivates humans to think critically.

Mark Leary, a professor emeritus at Duke, describes the three benefits to being intellectually humble, the history of the study of intellectual humility, and strategies to increase connection and creativity by increasing intellectual humility.

Author and Research Fellow, Lee McIntyre, shares excerpts from his book, How to Talk to a Science Denier: Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason and describes how to practice inclusion with those who absorb the information provided by disinformation campaigns.

Tune in:

Meet Our Guests:

Get Smart: Intellectual Humility and Critical Thinking with Mark Leary, Ph.D. & Lee McIntyre, Ph.D.

Mark Leary is Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. For more than 40 years, he’s studied the psychology of emotion and motivation, with an interest in processes that underlie human well-being and strong social relationships.

Mark Leary — Intellectual Humility:

  • Mark explains intellectual humility and how it plays out in our lives. {1:34}
  • Ways to activate critical thinking to become more intellectually humble. {3:18}
  • Three big benefits to being intellectually humble. {7:01}
  • Most people believe they are above average in most things, which is statistically improbable. {14:46}
  • Standing your ground on cherished values is different from standing your ground on trivial issues. {18:01}
  • Suggestions to increase intellectual humility. {21:13}

Follow Mark Leary:

Get Smart: Intellectual Humility and Critical Thinking with Mark Leary, Ph.D. & Lee McIntyre, Ph.D.

Lee McIntyre is a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University and History of Science at Boston University and an Instructor in Ethics at Harvard Extension School. He holds a B.A. from Wesleyan University and a Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Michigan. Formerly Executive Director of the Institute for Quantitative Social Science at Harvard University, he has also served as a policy advisor to the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard and as Associate Editor in the Research Department of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

Book: How to Talk to a Science Denier: Conversations with Flat Earthers, Climate Deniers, and Others Who Defy Reason

Lee McIntyre — Critical Thinking:

  • The five-step blueprint of a science denier. {28:38}
  • The difference between skeptics and deniers. {31:42}
  • If a person is susceptible to disinformation in one realm, does it translate to other subjects? {35:19}
  • Lee shares his framework for understanding a science denier’s point of view and if possible, how to offer them a different view. {40:56}
  • In Lee’s book, Post-Truth, he describes the strategies and narratives employed by those interested in spreading disinformation. {46:02}
  • How social media propagates propaganda, free speech, and preserving relationships with science deniers. {48:26}

Shareables:

“Most of us walk through life far more confident of our beliefs and opinions that we should be.” —Mark Leary on @HHTalkRadio Share on X “You can’t possibly know everything and you can’t possibly always be right.” —Mark Leary on @HHTalkRadio Share on X “A recent research study shows that 65% of the anti-vax propaganda on Twitter was due to 12 people.” —@LeeCMcIntrye on @HHTalkRadio Share on X “Once liars have a microphone they are going to do damage. —@LeeCMcIntrye on@HHTalkRadio Share on X

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