Seeking True Beliefs/Quick Reference

This quick reference lists intellectual virtues.

The intellectual virtues are various motivations toward true beliefs.

• Love of Knowledge — is the motivation to gain important knowledge.
• Firmness — is the motivation to understand evidence and base beliefs on evidence. Galileo was firm but the Pope was Rigid. Firmness is based on a deep understanding of the evidence supporting your beliefs. Rigidity results from a motivation to preserve some dogma.
• Courage and Caution — are the resolve to overcome difficulties and avoid mistakes. It can take courage to ask difficult questions.
• Humility — is the motivation to learn.
• Autonomy — is the motivation to take personal responsibility for choosing what you believe.
• Perseverance — is the motivation to keep going, dig deeper, continue investigating and researching until the evidence is clear, anomalies are resolved, understanding continues to deepen and a belief can be formed with confidence.
• Generosity — is the motivation to share results and credit with others. Lives were saved because Jonas Salk shared the polio vaccine without patenting it.
• Insightfulness — is the motivation to imagine, discover, and understand new cause and effect relationships. Darwin gained insight when he visited the Galapagos Islands.
• Practical Wisdom — is the motivation to balance, integrate, and resolve conflicting goals as you pursue true beliefs.