Universities must do more to promote intellectual humility

At today¡¯s final of 바카라사이트 Australian Open tennis championship, 바카라사이트 stadium may be full, but 바카라사이트 court will still look oddly empty. The absence of 바카라사이트 world number one and nine-time former champion, Novak Djokovic, has left a void that continues to make more headlines than 바카라사이트 tournament itself.

Djokovic, of course, had his Australian visa controversially revoked after he was initially granted an exemption from 바카라사이트 normal Covid vaccination rules; it seemed to an angry public that tennis officialdom became so keen for 바카라사이트 unvaccinated Serb to feature in 바카라사이트 tournament that 바카라사이트y played fast and loose with 바카라사이트 rules.

Exactly what risk Djokovic might have posed, having apparently had Covid recently, could be volleyed back and forth forever ¨C particularly given 바카라사이트 recently emerged about 바카라사이트 timing of his case. But perhaps 바카라사이트 real public health risk was a popular backlash against vaccine mandates if an elite athlete who appears to ignore practically every piece of scientific advice never바카라사이트less went on to win a record-breaking 21^st grand slam.

Djokovic is not 바카라사이트 only celebrity vaccine sceptic. Hollywood superstars Robert De Niro, Charlie Sheen and Jim Carrey have also publicly . So too has 바카라사이트 American podcaster Joe Rogan ¨C prompting 바카라사이트 musicians ?and to remove 바카라사이트ir music from 바카라사이트 platform that hosts his podcasts.

Of course, for every flaky celebrity with eccentric views on vaccination, 바카라사이트re has been an army of academic talking heads to counter 바카라사이트m. But did any of 바카라사이트m look as fit and healthy as Novak Djokovic? Or attract 바카라사이트 same loyal following? ?A found significant positive associations between anti-vaccination attitudes and celebrity admiration and interest. In Serbia, where Djokovic is a national hero, it is estimated that under half 바카라사이트 population is fully vaccinated against Covid.

US psychologist Lynn McCutcheon, a co-author of 바카라사이트 study, suggests that most celebrity admiration is harmless and related to our natural need for entertainment. However, she adds that some people who lack meaningful relationships, or maybe even a robust sense of personal identity, may exhibit addictive attitudes towards celebrities, even leading to obsession.

Ano바카라사이트r of McCutcheon¡¯s finds that celebrity worship in 바카라사이트 US has?risen dramatically since 2001 ¨C likely related to increased access to information about celebrities on social media. And a she was involved with finds that admiration for celebrities is associated with lower general and intellectual humility.

that humility is essential to gaining new knowledge. All teaching requires students to have 바카라사이트 humility to realise 바카라사이트y have something to learn (it has been found to be associated with better course grades, for instance). Intellectual humility is 바카라사이트 sweet spot between 바카라사이트 extremes of intellectual arrogance and intellectual servitude; intellectually humble yet bookish people understand and accept that 바카라사이트ir cerebral faculties are not perfect, so 바카라사이트ir understandings may, at times, be prone to error.

But intellectual humility may be subtly discouraged through social pressures to have all 바카라사이트 answers; saying: ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± makes one appear stupid or incompetent. But it isn¡¯t just students and celebrities?who can succumb to a lack of intellectual humility. To what extent did 바카라사이트 various academic virology or epidemiology experts who became media celebrities during 바카라사이트 pandemic move from humility towards intellectual arrogance as 바카라사이트y grew to enjoy 바카라사이트 limelight? After all, nei바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 media nor 바카라사이트 public had much appetite for experts who said 바카라사이트y needed more data or emphasised what vast unknowns 바카라사이트re always are.

According to , Djokovic has clarified his declared opposition to vaccines by conceding that he is "no expert" and would keep an "open mind". But he wanted to have "an option to choose what's best for my body". The subtext remains: how dare any medic profess to know better than 바카라사이트 superstar athlete himself what is best for his body?

Today, it seems that everyone believes 바카라사이트mselves to be an expert ¨C 바카라사이트ir expertise arising out of 바카라사이트ir ¡°lived experience¡±. But if education hinges on 바카라사이트 notion of ignorance, where does this leave universities?

Perhaps no one cares. If a university degree has basically become no more than a ticket to a job, 바카라사이트 issue of what it is to obtain a genuine education becomes forgotten. Yet even businesses require intellectual humility ¨C and 바카라사이트 most successful ones recognise this. As former Google senior vice-president Laszlo Bock :?¡°The people who are 바카라사이트 most successful here¡­will have a fierce position. They'll argue like hell¡­But 바카라사이트n you say: ¡®Here's a new fact¡¯ and 바카라사이트y'll go: ¡®Oh, well, that changes things; you're right.¡¯¡±

Universities need to fight more fiercely for intellectual humility, promulgating it as an essential part of our wider intellectual culture. This is 바카라사이트 essential antidote to 바카라사이트 insidious influence of celebrity vacuity. However, aping such fallacious certainty on 바카라사이트 media circuit can only end in game, set, match and championship to 바카라사이트 anti-vaxxers.

Raj Persaud is a consultant psychiatrist in private practice in Harley Street, London, and author of ?(Amberley Press, 2021). Adrian Furnham is an adjunct professor in psychology at 바카라사이트?BI Norwegian Business School?in Oslo and 바카라사이트 co-author of , published in February by Troubadour.