Abstract:
The intellectual virtues are traits of character including trust, curiosity, open-mindedness, humility, honesty, attentiveness and patience. I will argue that these virtues underpin our competency in reasoning, oracy and literacy. So at the same time as they are intellectual virtues, they are communicative virtues. To the extent that democracy can be seen as government by discussion – as a deliberative process – these virtues are also democratic virtues. Essentially, the intellectual virtues help us collectively to examine multiple perspectives on a given issue which in turn defuses tribalism and myside or confirmation biases. Given the significance of these virtues to our common life I will examine the various ways these virtues have been taught.