| Abstract: | For open‐mindedness to be an Aristotelian personal virtue, its possession must make agents better off. Unfortunately, open‐mindedness does not currently pay. The reasons include (1) novelty glut — taking seriously even a tiny percentage of the worthwhile, available ideas would be overwhelming; and (2) deception campaigns — we lack the time, sophistication, and knowledge to uncover the truth ourselves. Our best coping strategy is closed‐mindedness, that is, to ignore whatever we encounter unless vouched for by trusted experts. However, as Jessica Gottlieb and Howard Curzer argue in this article, student learning demands open‐mindedness. Although open‐mindedness is a personal vice, it is a student‐role virtue. Thus, teachers must buffer their classrooms against those features of the contemporary world that make open‐mindedness counterproductive. Teachers can counter these threats by using core practices that are general (such as facilitating classroom discussions) and content‐specific (for example, engaging students in scientific investigations). Core practices enable teachers to craft environments and experiences that make open‐mindedness great again. |
