Epistemic Humility and Its Personal Impact
Epistemic humility is an important phenomenon that can explain painful feelings experienced when communicating with people who do not share my views. This concept is associated with the acknowledgment that I cannot know everything; I do not have infinite knowledge about all processes and events; my knowledge is limited and somewhat incomplete, and other people’s views and knowledge can be different and have other roots.
I should state that the understanding of epistemic humility helps me respect other people’s ideas and visions as they may share different knowledge and skills. However, in this reflection, it is essential to focus on the situations when epistemic humility can be rather painful, and the difference in views and knowledge can be seen personally as critically essential and changing everything.
Emotional Discomfort and the Challenge of Being Wrong
When someone tells me that I am wrong, even if the focus is on insignificant aspects, it can be very uncomfortable and cause anxiety. These comments usually cause inner opposition because it is quite problematic to readily admit that I can make many mistakes and follow wrong beliefs or incorrect facts. As a result, it is possible to feel a loss of control over the situation, especially when I firmly believe that my views are true and credible.
This situation occurs rather frequently during seminars, communication with peers and professors, or interactions with relatives. In these cases, it is challenging to demonstrate understanding and compassion or concentrate on feeling empathy and tolerance, especially in debates. Still, when people understand that each person has their individual history, experience, and perspective, it is easier to recognize why they think and feel the way they do and share their position.
Without compassion and tolerance, it is easy to become angry and highly emotional during debates or arguments. Differences can provoke me and other people to defend personal points of view strongly. The first reason to explain such behavior is that individuals associate their ideas and beliefs with their personality, and this aspect influences self-esteem.
If someone criticizes or disagrees with one’s point of view, one may feel personal vulnerability, and self-esteem may decrease. Furthermore, many people are not accustomed to being criticized or hearing and accepting different opinions. This situation can lead to the rejection of new information and provoke a strong desire to defend one’s views.
Group Identity and the Influence of Social/Religious Affiliations
In addition, the impact of social and religious groups on individuals’ knowledge and views is also important. People often identify themselves with a particular social group, such as a religious community, political party, or a smaller group of like-minded individuals. For me, it is also important to feel like part of a certain community. Therefore, I am always ready to defend the values followed by my group.
Thus, those people who are inclined to react to different opinions emotionally may feel more pressure when others’ views do not align with the opinion of their particular group. As a result, the reaction to different knowledge and views can be unexpectedly strong because it is these people’s defensive reaction.
Resistance to Other Perspectives: Low Epistemic Humility
Therefore, people who are ready to kill for their views tend to demonstrate a low level of epistemic humility. They do not want to acknowledge a different point of view or admit their own mistakes, which can lead to an intensive defense of their ideas. Thus, the reason why “epistemic humility” can be painful is that people may feel that their personality, self-esteem, familiar and important values, and ideas are threatened if they face different views or acknowledge their mistakes. Individuals’ personalities and self-definitions are closely tied to what they believe, and when this is called into question, they can feel vulnerable, frustrated, and angry. Still, while it may cause some discomfort and unease, differences can help me and other people better understand the world around us and our role in it.