“Intellectual integrity is the habit of deciding vexed questions in accordance with the evidence, or of leaving them undecided where the evidence is inconclusive. This virtue, though it is underestimated by almost all adherents of any system of dogma, is to my mind of the very greatest social importance and far more likely to benefit the world than Christianity or any other system of organised religious beliefs.“
The most essential virtue in life is intellectual honesty. We can only know something based on the evidence, and we don't know anything when the evidence is lacking. As important as they may be, all other virtues pale compared to honest inquiry and recognition of truth based on objective factual reality.
If your IQ is above 100, you have no excuse for being intellectually dishonest. What is intellectual dishonesty? It is a belief where there is no evidence or inconclusive evidence. It is blind faith in dogma. It is believing what others tell you without question. It is in relying on what is written without knowing and trusting its sources to be supported by evidence.
Intellectual dishonesty is the proverbial slippery slope. You are vulnerable to charlatans who scam you, to grifters who tempt you with their greed, and to charismatic cult leaders who lie to you. And you accept all that, and you end up storming the U.S. Capitol in an insurrection, or you just ruin lives promoting your religion by worshiping a benevolent/vengeful, all-powerful/impotent god.
There is only one worthy achievement in life beyond living love, and that is practicing intellectual honesty. From that flows adherence to recognition of all other virtues, including living an examined life and empathy for others.
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