Become New with John Ortberg 29. The Virtue of Self Knowledge (w/Dr. Jim Taylor)
Mar 6, 2026
Dr. Jim Taylor, philosopher and former Westmont College professor who studies intellectual virtue and spiritual formation. He explains what intellectual virtues are and highlights humility and courage. He connects honest self-knowledge to reducing condemning judgment. He shares practical practices like prayer, Psalm 139, mindfulness, and journaling.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Intellectual Virtues Combine Skill And Desire
- Intellectual virtues are character traits for thinking well, combining skill and desire to seek truth.
- Jim Taylor defines them as practical wisdom plus a love of knowledge, applied with humility and courage.
Pursue Self Knowledge Before Judging Others
- Do pursue self-knowledge as an intellectual virtue to avoid condemning others and to gain discernment.
- Jim Taylor links Jesus' log-and-speck teaching to honest humility: know your faults first to help others gently.
Smart People Can Lack Intellectual Virtue
- Knowledge and intelligence don't guarantee intellectual virtue like fairness or generosity.
- Jim Taylor warns smart people can lack charity and thus fail to love truth or others well.
