Intellectual Honesty means active effort to purify our thinking. It fights denial, delusion, false logic, incomplete knowledge and skewed perspective - also known as Bullshit.
Not enough Intellectual Honesty is lazy thinking, it lacks attention, conscious appraisal of the reality at hand. Excessive Intellectual Honesty second guesses everything into a crippling state of mind and action.
Being intellectually honest requires checking our facts, keeping ourselves teachable, and testing our reasoning in meditation or in consultation.
The biggest trap to anyone who is intentionally honest is thinking we know. When we believe we have it down, we don't listen well. We look for what others need to see as we do, instead of for things we can learn. We assume they know less. We pass on the opportunity to connect more dots.
We know our thinking is honest when it feels right spiritually - which can't quite happen until we've done a little bit of footwork. The footwork is a reality check.
What did ACTUALLY happen? What did people really say, do, ask for? What are we in fact committed to or responsible for? Are we backing our thinking on current and sufficient information? What are our assumptions, can we check them? What is a good indicator of something being true? What are our motives in this undertaking?
Others' word is not a reliable indicator of truth, unless the said other has done reasonable footwork in the matter. Even then, as humans they are fallible and we still owe it to ourselves to check within - Does this sit right?
Once we have enough clarity, reflection and facts, our thinking becomes simple. Physical tension releases. Our truth ''sits right'' with us. We can state our view and take relevant action with confidence that we will be able to course-correct.
Intellectual honesty calls us to consider what we hear, and to own what we say. Can I honestly say I believe what I'm saying? Have I reflected on a truth laid before me before I swallowed it?