The Scout Mindset
What Works to Build Mental Immunity - #15
The Scout Mindset1 emphasizes the importance of seeking truth and understanding the world as accurately as possible. Unlike the “Soldier Mindset,” which is defensive and motivated by a desire to be right, the Scout Mindset is open, curious, and motivated by a desire to see things as they are. This mindset encourages folks to explore different perspectives, question their own beliefs, and update their understanding based on evidence.
Applications
In contexts where students are working on a research project, create opportunities for self-reflection where students can discuss how their thinking has evolved on a particular topic and what new insights they have gained.
Encourage Perspective-Taking: Design activities that require students to consider multiple perspectives on an issue. Highlight the value of empathy and understanding others’ viewpoints as key components of the Scout Mindset.
Teach students how to evaluate evidence. This can involve analyzing data, assessing the credibility of sources, and understanding the difference between correlation and causation. Encourage students to update their understanding when presented with new, credible evidence, reinforcing the idea that changing one’s mind in light of new information is a strength, not a weakness.
Notes
By incorporating the Scout Mindset into educational settings, educators can help students develop a healthier approach to learning and understanding the world around them. Emphasizing the value of truth-seeking over being right can help create a classroom environment where students feel safe to explore and question, an environment of intellectual humility, curiosity, and continuous learning.
Learn More
TED Talk: Why You Think You’re Right – Even If You’re Wrong by Julia Galef
This post is part of our “What Works” series for educators and researchers.
We are open to incorporating feedback into these modules before we publish them on our website. Please comment on this post to provide suggestions. We’re particularly interested in additional applications, resources, and readings. All constructive feedback is welcomed. Thank you!
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Disclosure: ChatGPT-4o was used to assist in the drafting of this article
A concept introduced by Julia Galef in her book The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don’t (2021)