Develop Intellectual Integrity
Intellectual integrity entails recognizing the need to be true to your
own thinking, to be consistent in the intellectual standards one
applies, to hold oneself to the same rigorous standards of evidence
and proof to which one holds one’s antagonists, to practice what
one advocates for others, and to honestly admit discrepancies and
inconsistencies in your own thought and action.
Intellectual integrity develops best in a supportive atmosphere in which people feel secure and free enough to honestly acknowledge their inconsistencies, and can develop and share realistic ways of dealing with them. It requires honest acknowledgment of the difficulties of achieving greater consistency in one’s thoughts and actions. The opposite of intellectual integrity is intellectual hypocrisy.
Intellectual integrity develops best in a supportive atmosphere in which people feel secure and free enough to honestly acknowledge their inconsistencies, and can develop and share realistic ways of dealing with them. It requires honest acknowledgment of the difficulties of achieving greater consistency in one’s thoughts and actions. The opposite of intellectual integrity is intellectual hypocrisy.
Activity:
When Have You Been Hypocritical?
Think of a time recently in which you
failed to behave in accordance with some
reasonable standards you have set for
yourself.
Complete these statements:
Activity:
When Have You Been Inconsistent Or Contradicted Yourself?
Write about a dimension of your life that
you suspect holds some inconsistencies or
contradictions (where you probably are not
holding yourself to the same standard to
which you hold those whom you dislike or
disagree with).
Complete these statements:
Activity:
Imagine a World Where People Embody Intellectual Integrity
Consider a future world in which persons
and organizations routinely perform rigorous
self-analysis and are happy to acknowledge
their inconsistencies in order to grow and
develop as rational persons.
Answer the questions: