Are you trying to learn something new but it's a struggle and you're tempted to give up? Are you trying to understand philosophy or level up your thinking and sometimes you just feel stuck and confused? Then this post is designed for you, philosophical lifer! I'm giving you the 5 best steps to develop intellectual perseverance and succeed intellectually.
More...
What is Intellectual Perseverance?
Intellectual perseverance is a habit that comes from a love of learning. It's the tendency to not give up on learning when the learning gets tough. Instead, you embrace intellectual struggle. You persist toward greater understanding.
Intellectual perseverance is an intellectual virtue. What's an intellectual virtue and why is perseverance one of them?
For Aristotle, a virtue is a midway point between two extremes. For instance, moral courage is a virtue that lies in-between the tendency to act cowardly or rashly. A person having the moral virtue of courage takes just the right amount of risk given the circumstances. They do not foolishly rush into a battle when they are clearly outmatched or haven't planned their attack. They do not take unwise risks or act rashly. And they do not retreat from battle out of fear when victory was possible. They do not act cowardly. What's an intellectual virtue as opposed to a moral one?
An intellectual virtue is a habit that comes from a desire to gain knowledge. It involves seeking the truth about what you're learning. But, it isn't an all-out desire for truth no matter the costs. Enter movie quote from A Few Good Men, "You can't handle the truth!" It involves correct moderation. It's a midway point. Between what?
Intellectual perseverance lies in-between the tendency to give up on learning too easily and the tendency to keep banging your head against a problem when no reasonable progress is in sight. However, we tend to give up too easily. So it's usually better to lean toward keeping going.
Now onto developing this awesome intellectual habit!
Step 1: Connect What You're Learning to the Real World!
Develop the habit of intellectual perseverance by connecting your subject to the real world.
Keep learning when the learning gets tough by seeing your subject in 3-D. If a subject is flat and one-dimensional it's boring to look at. When you get bored you tend to move onto something else. Bring your subject to life by connecting it to the real world. How?
Take ethics, for instance. Reading Jeremy Bentham on utilitarianism can be...well...boring. The text is old school.
To make reading utilitarianism come to life you can connect your learning to the real world. There's a movement called Effective Altruism. It's utilitarianism in action. Reading about the movement or attending meetups may keep you engaged in learning about utilitarianism. It will motivate you to keep going even when reading Bentham gets tough or boring.
Step 2: Ignite Your Curiosity!
Spark your curiosity to keep learning when the learning gets tough.
Curious people learn because learning is rewarding. They don't just learn to get kudos or rewards. They learn for learning's sake. Curiosity keeps you focused on this pursuit.
If you find yourself tempted to quit an intellectual project, try to your ignite your curiosity.
Sticking with the example of learning utilitarianism. If you find reading John Stuart Mill on Utilitarianism is difficult you can ignite your curiosity by looking at a general article on utilitarianism, such as this one on The History of Utilitarianism.
Or, if learning about about the history of ideas doesn't spark your curiosity, watch a fun video on your subject. For example, you could watch a video on utilitarianism by Crash Course Philosophy. This helps you think about interesting scenarios relevant to utilitarianism, such as whether it's permissible to kill one person to save five people.
Step 3: Break Free from What's Holding You Back!
There are predicable things that are preventing you from persevering intellectually. Recognize these roadblocks. Don't let them stop you from learning.
Intellectual laziness prevents learning. Learning requires mental effort. If you find yourself unwilling to exert yourself mentally, you're prone to intellectual laziness. Like the habit of physical laziness makes your muscles atrophy the habit of intellectual laziness makes your mind atrophy. It makes your intellectual skills grow dull and flabby.
Another big roadblock is the P-word...procrastination. It involves putting off what's hard by distracting yourself with what's easy and less important in moving your learning forward. Instead of forcing yourself to do what's hard, you occupy yourself with busy work.
Yet another P-word that's a roadblock is perfectionism. This is the one I struggle with most. I tend to fuss over details. I tend to endlessly tweak things. If I cannot learn something and learn it perfectly, I think "why bother." I've learned it's better to take small steps over time than to try to take huge leaps of improvement in one fell swoop. If you're a perfectionist like me, you may be waiting for the perfect moment to learn, the perfect school or teacher, or the perfect method. Get learning and stay learning. Even if it's messy. Even if it's not perfect. It's better to get it done.
The last roadblock to intellectual perseverance I'll mention is closed-mindedness. When you're closed-minded you're unwilling to think outside the box. Learning something new requires going out on a limb. It requires thinking new thoughts. If you are unwilling to entertain new ideas and perspectives, this will make you give up when you encounter something new, especially something that challenges your preexisting beliefs. To overcome this roadblock, become open-minded.
To help you become open-minded I created a video. It contains 3 tips to boost your open-mindedness so you can better learn and think critically. Click here to watch the video.
Step 4: Remember Your Past Intellectual Achievements!
When you're tempted to give up on learning something it's helpful to remember your past successes. Did you succeed in learning a new skill at work? Did you learn a new language? Did you learn a new theory or philosophy? Did you achieve a degree? Did you complete a training course?
On a sheet of paper write down some of your past intellectual successes. Remember these successes. Let them give you strength to keep going because you've done so in the past.
Step 5: Think About Frederick Douglass!
Frederick Douglass went from being a slave to being an adviser to the President. How did he escape slavery and become an activist for the abolition of slavery? He learned to read and write. But, it wasn't easy.
Frederick first learned the alphabet when he was a young boy. The wife of his slave owner and master began teaching him the ABC's. When the slave owner discovered his wife was teaching Frederick to read, he forbid his wife from continuing. But this did not prevent Frederick from persisting in becoming literate. He did not give up.
He used ingenuity to achieve literacy. While running household chores, such as going to the store, Frederick would bring bread with him. He would get poor white boys to spell out words. He would offer them bread in exchange for a spelling lesson.
Frederick learned to write in an ingenuous way. One day while passing by a shipyard he noticed letters on the wood used to build the ships. Carpenters would write in chalk where the wood was to be placed on the ship. Frederick used discarded chalk to practice tracing the letters he found on the wood. It took him a long time to learn. But, his persistence paid off.
Thus, after a long, tedious effort for years, I finally succeeded in learning how to write.
Frederick Douglass
When you're tempted to give up on an intellectual project, think about Frederick Douglass. Think about the ingenuity and perseverance he displayed in learning to read and write. Let that encourage you to find new ways to overcome your struggles in learning.
For a video version of this post, check out the video below!
Conclusion
The 5 steps for developing the habit of intellectual perseverance will help you succeed in your intellectual projects. When the learning gets tough, you will persist through those challenges. In the end, it's worth it. Completing your intellectual projects is satisfying and rewarding. It gives you confidence. It sharpens and expands your mind.