On the Complexity and Significance of Intellectual Generosity: Lessons from Sharing with Large Groups

Abstract Virtue epistemologists have analyzed individual intellectual virtues such as intellectual humility and perseverance, but intellectual generosity remains relatively under-explored. This may be because intellectual generosity seems simpler and less impactful than other virtues, but in this paper, I argue it is more complex and significant than it might first appear. More precisely, I use case studies from mathematics to show that sharing intellectual goods, the core activity of intellectual generosity, is often complicated and challenging, especially when sharing with large groups. Further, I show that intellectual generosity can have important and long-lasting beneficial consequences for entire research areas, both in terms of generating new discoveries and improving the intellectual climate. Additionally, I suggest a practical way for agents to cultivate intellectual generosity and show that there is a connection between intellectual generosity and intellectual courage in the context of mathematics.