Junior Seminar in Epistemology and Psychology

Co-organized and co-led by Nathan Ballantyne (Arizona State University, Philosophy), David Dunning (University of Michigan, Psychology), and Hilary Kornblith (UMass Amherst, Philosophy). This fully-funded seminar will be held on 5-6 November 2025 at Arizona State University. The seminar will bring together fifteen junior researchers in philosophy and psychology, as well as several senior scholars. Accepted participants will present works-in-progress focused on the larger project topic—humility in inquiry—and will be provided with $1000 stipends, as well as funds for travel expenses. Over the last decade, philosophers and scientists have begun studying intellectual humility, treating it as a stable psychological disposition or epistemic virtue that encourages acceptance of one’s fallibility and “owning” one’s intellectual limitations. Our project expands the discussion of intellectual humility by shifting the conversation away from humble dispositions and towards the practices, processes, and interventions that support humble thinking. We ask what situational circumstances, settings, or approaches allow people to keep their minds open to new and controversial ideas. To mark the contrast with dispositional humility, we are using the term humility in inquiry to refer to a state of open-minded consideration of diverse ideas or points of view.