Epistemic means anything dealing with knowledge. Epistemic humility is:
1) Accepting that there will always be many things about which we are ignorant and that’s natural and okay.
2) Accepting that our understanding of the world is always filtered, interpreted, and structured by our pre-existing beliefs, culture, and prior knowledge.
Epistemological humility requires that we release the baggage of presumption, that we cultivate sufficient self-awareness to acknowledge our blinders and understand how the lens through which we view the world alters our perceptions and shapes our conclusions. This includes a willingness to make space in our minds and hearts to listen to and consider opinions and points of view we may disagree with or even find disturbing.
Closing Quotes:
“Inquiry is fatal to certainty.” – Will Durant, 1885-1981
“The more I see the less I know for sure.” – John Lennon, 1940-1980
“What men want is not knowledge, but certainty.” – Bertrand Russell, 1872-1970
“Doubt is not a pleasant mental state, but certainty is a ridiculous one.” – Voltaire, 1694 -1778
“To be positive: to be mistaken at the top of one’s voice.” – Ambrose Bierce, 1842-1913/14 (date of death uncertain, disappeared in Mexico)
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier