Quassim Cassam, a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick and author of "Vices of the Mind," delves into the nature and implications of intellectual vices like closed-mindedness and wishful thinking. He discusses their impact on decision-making, illustrated through historical examples like the Iraq War. Cassam emphasizes the importance of accountability in our beliefs, critiques the rising tide of misinformation in politics, and highlights self-reflection as a tool to recognize and mitigate personal biases.
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insights INSIGHT
Political Epistemology
Epistemology, the study of knowledge, can be dry and abstract.
Applying it to real-world issues, like politics, makes it more practical.
insights INSIGHT
Vices vs. Biases
Intellectual vices are not just cognitive biases; they're blameworthy.
They're personal traits hindering truth-seeking, unlike biases, which may be universal.
insights INSIGHT
Blame and Control
Blaming someone for intellectual vices implies they can control them.
This raises questions about free will and character trait alteration.
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In 'Vices of the Mind', Quassim Cassam provides a comprehensive analysis of epistemic vices, which are character traits, attitudes, or thinking styles that hinder the acquisition and sharing of knowledge. The book uses real-world examples, including political events like Brexit and the Iraq War, to illustrate these vices. Cassam discusses how these vices can be recognized and addressed, and explores the concept of responsibility for one's epistemic failings.
All of us have been wrong about things from time to time. But sometimes it was a simple, forgivable mistake, while other times we really should have been correct. Properties that systematically prevent us from being correct, and for which we can legitimately be blamed, are “intellectual vices.” Examples might include closed-mindedness, wishful thinking, overconfidence, selective attention, and so on. Quassim Cassam is a philosopher who studies knowledge in various forms, and who has recently written a book Vices of the Mind: From the Intellectual to the Political. We talk about the nature of intellectual vices, how they manifest in people and in organizations, and what we can possibly do to correct them in ourselves.
Quassim Cassam received his Ph.D. in philosophy from Oxford University. He is currently Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick. He previously held faculty positions at Cambridge University and University College London. He has served as the president of the Aristotelian Society, and was awarded a Leadership Fellowship by the Arts and Humanities Research Council in the UK.