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Exercise: Self-Reflection on Intellectual Virtues and Vices

This exercise helps you to identify your own intellectual strengths and areas for development and to create a plan for your intellectual development.

Step 1: Taking Stock​

Reflect on your intellectual virtues and vices. Rate yourself on a scale from 1 (very weak) to 10 (very strong) for each of the following traits:

Intellectual virtues:

  • Intellectual curiosity: _____
  • Intellectual humility: _____
  • Intellectual autonomy: _____
  • Intellectual integrity: _____
  • Intellectual perseverance: _____
  • Intellectual fairness: _____
  • Intellectual courage: _____
  • Intellectual empathy: _____

Intellectual vices:

  • Intellectual arrogance: _____
  • Intellectual laziness: _____
  • Intellectual cowardice: _____
  • Intellectual dishonesty: _____
  • Intellectual narrow-mindedness: _____
  • Intellectual impatience: _____
  • Intellectual egocentrism: _____
  • Intellectual conformity: _____

Step 2: Situation Analysis​

Think of concrete situations from your life in which your intellectual virtues or vices have manifested themselves:

  1. Strength example: Describe a situation in which you successfully practised an intellectual virtue. What were the circumstances? How did you act? What was the outcome?
  1. Development-area example: Describe a situation in which an intellectual vice negatively influenced your thinking or actions. What were the circumstances? How did you act? What was the outcome? What could you have done differently?

Step 3: Recognising Patterns​

Based on your reflection, identify:

  1. Your three strongest intellectual virtues:
  1. Your three most pronounced intellectual vices:
  1. Situations or contexts in which your intellectual virtues are particularly strong:
  1. Situations or contexts in which your intellectual vices particularly come to the fore:

Step 4: Development Plan​

Create a concrete plan for your intellectual development:

  1. Priority: Choose one intellectual virtue that you want to strengthen and one intellectual vice that you want to overcome.
    • Virtue to strengthen: ___________________________
    • Vice to overcome: ___________________________
  1. Concrete goals: Formulate specific, measurable goals for each priority.
    • Goal for the virtue: ___________________________
    • Goal for the vice: ___________________________
  1. Practical steps: Identify 2-3 concrete activities or exercises for each goal.
    • For the virtue:
    • For the vice:
  1. Measuring progress: How will you check your progress?
  1. Support: Which resources or support do you need?

Step 5: Reflection and Adjustment​

Plan to review your progress regularly and to adjust your development plan. Set yourself a date for a first review in about a month's time.

Date for the first review: ___________________________