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Intellectual Virtues Wheel

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About This MicroSim

This interactive MicroSim helps students describe the key intellectual virtues and how they relate to one another in responsible knowledge production.. It supports the learning objectives in Chapter: Skepticism, Intellectual Virtues, and Knowledge Production.

How to Use

Use the interactive controls below the drawing area to explore the visualization. Hover over elements for additional information and click to see detailed descriptions.

Iframe Embed Code

You can add this MicroSim to any web page by adding this to your HTML:

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<iframe src="https://dmccreary.github.io/theory-of-knowledge/sims/intellectual-virtues-wheel/main.html"
        height="450px"
        width="100%"
        scrolling="no"></iframe>

Lesson Plan

Grade Level

9-12 (High School / IB TOK)

Duration

15-20 minutes

Prerequisites

  • Familiarity with the concept of epistemology as the study of knowledge
  • Basic understanding of what a "virtue" means in philosophical contexts
  • Exposure to the idea that personal qualities can affect how we acquire knowledge

Learning Objectives

  • Describe the five key intellectual virtues and explain how each contributes to responsible knowledge-seeking
  • Identify relationships between intellectual virtues and real-world examples of epistemic responsibility

Activities

  1. Exploration (5 min): Click through each segment of the virtues wheel one at a time. Read the description for each virtue (intellectual humility, intellectual courage, intellectual empathy, intellectual integrity, and intellectual perseverance). Note which virtue you find most personally challenging and why.
  2. Guided Practice (10 min): For each virtue, brainstorm a concrete scenario where a knower demonstrates that virtue and one where its absence leads to poor epistemic practice. For example, consider how intellectual humility applies when a scientist receives peer review feedback that contradicts their hypothesis. Discuss with a partner: which virtue is most important for TOK essay writing?
  3. Assessment (5 min): Write a short paragraph describing a real-world situation (e.g., a public debate, a scientific controversy) and identify which intellectual virtues the participants displayed or lacked. Explain how the outcome might have differed if a missing virtue had been present.

Assessment

  • Accurately defines at least four of the five intellectual virtues in their own words
  • Provides a relevant, specific real-world example linking a virtue to epistemic responsibility
  • Explains how the absence of a virtue can lead to flawed knowledge claims

Quiz

Test your understanding with this review question.

1. A researcher discovers data that contradicts their long-held hypothesis. They carefully re-examine their methods and ultimately revise their conclusion. Which intellectual virtue does this best demonstrate?

  1. Intellectual empathy
  2. Intellectual humility
  3. Intellectual perseverance
  4. Intellectual courage
Show Answer

The correct answer is B. Intellectual humility involves recognizing the limits of one's own knowledge and being willing to revise beliefs in light of new evidence. The researcher acknowledged that their original conclusion may have been wrong and adjusted accordingly.

Concept Tested: Intellectual Humility

References

  1. Zagzebski, L. (1996). Virtues of the Mind: An Inquiry into the Nature of Virtue and the Ethical Foundations of Knowledge. Cambridge University Press.
  2. Baehr, J. (2011). The Inquiring Mind: On Intellectual Virtues and Virtue Epistemology. Oxford University Press.
  3. Roberts, R. C., & Wood, W. J. (2007). Intellectual Virtues: An Essay in Regulative Epistemology. Oxford University Press.