About the Program
The Intellectual Virtues Program was founded in 2022 at John Brown University’s Center for Faith and Flourishing to promote intellectual virtue education throughout the University. It was established through the generous grant funding and in partnership with the John Templeton Foundation.
The Program provides resources to form communities of practice among faculty, revise curriculum, and provide training and resources that will promote the cultivation of the intellectual virtues among JBU’s 1200+ person undergraduate student body. The Program aims to positively change the culture among students and faculty at JBU so that intellectual virtue education is enthusiastically embraced at the university.
The Program also acts as a hub to create inter-college dialogue among JBU’s four colleges, its Honors Program, student organizations, its faculty and student development functions, and the Gateway seminar program. The Program thus represents an additional commitment by the University to support the education of intellectual virtue in students as a part of its historic mission to educate the head, heart, and hand.
Our Goals
Foster conversations around the intellectual virtues
Cultivate best in class pedagogy
Help students grow
in intellectual virtue
The Virtues We Educate...Defined
1 / Intellectual Courage
Intellectual courage is a willingness to face fearful situations to acquire and promote knowledge and truth, including the fear of embarrassment or failure.
2 / Intellectual Carefulness
Intellectual carefulness is the disposition to pay close attention to details and to exhibit patience and diligence in forming conclusions or investigating evidence.
3 / Intellectual Tenacity
Intellectual tenacity is a disposition to both engage in and persevere in difficult or challenging intellectual work, in order to see it to completion.
4 / Fairmindedness
Intellectual fairmindedness is the disposition to sincerely listen to and entertain differing and competing viewpoints, especially in cases where one has strong views on a subject.
5 / Curiosity
Intellectual curiosity is the disposition to wonder, to seek out new knowledge or understanding through reflection, questioning, and the exploration of ideas in various subject matter.
6 / Intellectual Honesty
Intellectual honesty is a disposition to judiciously communicate ideas without coercion, force, or deceit, in such a way as to seek truth above personal prejudice or reputation.
7 / Intellectual Humility
Intellectual humility is the disposition to be aware of and accurately assess one’s own intellectual strengths and limitations, and to be unconcerned with intellectual status or prestige.