Humility in the Age of Self-Promotion

Is humility truly a virtue? Under what circumstances? Have cultural ideals of humility changed over time, and why? What would it mean to “walk humbly” as consumers? This exploration will explore the virtue of humility, with focus on how we live as consumers, through: 1. Colloquium. A diverse group of scholars, laborers, and professionals will come together to describe the value and costs of humility in their own practices, and in light of commercial influences. 2. Scholarly Publication. This project culminates in a collection of multi-disciplinary essays on how humility is exemplified through divergent practices. For example, one essayist may examine the impact of the marketplace on higher education and how pedagogies based in humility may encourage open-ended lines of questioning. Another contributor may research the interconnections of humility, environment, and economics at the heart of farming where an entire crop can be destroyed in a second by a hail storm.