A500.1.5.RB_WrightKyle

Intellectual Perseverance

            This is the first blog I have ever posted so bear with me as I learn to accomplish this feat, I guess you could say this is going to take some perseverance although I am not sure you could necessarily call it intellectual perseverance.  According to Foundations for Critical Thinking

Intellectual Perseverance: Having a consciousness of the need to use intellectual insights and truths in spite of difficulties, obstacles, and frustrations; firm adherence to rational principles despite the irrational opposition of others; a sense of the need to struggle with confusion and unsettled questions over an extended period of time to achieve deeper understanding or insight. (Valuable Intellectual Virtues, 2014)

            In my opinion intellectual perseverance is having the intestinal fortitude to reason things through in a logical manner in search of true and correct thinking when others around you doubt or even discount your thought processes.   It can be as simple as continuing to study a belief or concept that other do not understand and question you on, or to the extent that others disagree with your way of think and therefore openly reject your studies and seek to discredit your theories.  Another form of intellectual perseverance is the determination to withstand the internal forces that would cause us settle for less than true and correct logic.  While the external resistance is easily identifiable the internal conflict maybe the greatest hurtle to overcome in the search for logical answers.

            For example Columbus had a theory that the earth was round, and despite the fierce external opposition he continued to develop the idea that the earth was round. He eventually succeeded in  convincing Spain to sponsor a trip to prove the contour of the earth, however, we now know that despite his theory being correct his proof was lacking because he never made it completely around the earth as he thought he had.  So we could say that despite Columbus's perseverance in the argument for the contour of the earth, that his confirmation did not persist.

            Intellectual perseverance like running a marathon, you know that it a long distance and you know you will have to overcome obstacles but if you keep your mind's eye focused on the goal you will eventually triumph over the resistance and achieve victory.  What will surprise you the most when you finally cross the finish line is that you achieved more in the journey and all its obstacles than you did from the finish line.  The same can be said about the intellectual perseverance or the thoughtful continuation despite resistance you will gain more from the process of continued thought than you will from achieving your logical goal, that is why it is true that we learn more from failure than we do from success.

References

Nosich, G. M. (2012). Learning To Think Things Through: A Guide To Critical Thinking Across The Curriculum. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Valuable Intellectual Virtues. (2014, September). Retrieved August 15, 2015, from Foundation For Critical Thinking: www.criticalthinking.org