Magnanimous humility – The Economic Times

Usually, what we understand by humility is the act of owning one’s limits and not making a show of what you know. Humility is normally understood as a virtue whereby you own our limits, whether they be physical, emotional, spiritual or intellectual, says Annelise Jolley, writing for the Templeton Foundation’s newsletter. This can be called self-accepting humility, accepting that you don’t know what you don’t know. But what if you actually do know something but you need to pretend to not know that something in order to put the other person at ease, or to downplay your knowledge so that it is not mistaken for egoistic sense of superiority? Humility researcher and philosopher Brandon Yip calls this magnanimous humility, when you engage humbly even as you hold on to your core religious, political or ethical beliefs.

This kind of humility will ensure that there is no unpleasant disagreement or argument in the course of engagement; there are less chances of angry outbursts and ego tussles. Magnanimous humility is all about restraining yourself from making it apparent that you know more than the other person, and listen carefully to what he has to say without being judgemental or opinionated. This is also an exercise in compassion and understanding, to forge better relationships and pave the way for future amiable discourses. The sense of entitlement and arrogance associated with superior knowledge-holding persons is absent here. Says Yip, ‘They are willing to lower their status in order to engage with you humbly.’ This way, you can engage across party lines without ruffling feathers.