Respons to Yvonne's Question: Realism or Idealism?

I agree with Yvonne that realism is a more "ideal" concept than idealism, but I generally look at the world from an idealist perspective. Realism does seem to award humans "more credit," in its claim that we can indeed understand properties of the world outside our own minds. It is an easier concept to grasp, and gives us more confindence than the idealist perspective. The idealist perspective might seem infathmothable for some, since it suggests that we can never have complete knowledge of anything other than our own thoughts. Because we as humans have a tendancy to catagorize and label just about everything in order to understand it completely, this idea could be discouraging.
In my opinion, two of the most important intellectual values are intellectual courage: "a willingness to consider with an open mind ideas or lines of reasoningthat are unpopular or potentially dangerous." and intellectual humility: "a preparedness to acknowledge one's ingnorance or errorand proceed with inquiry." An idealist prespective requires, and encourages, these values. Though it may be uncomfortable for us to entertain the idea that we will never understand anything fully, it is important to keep an open mind so we will remain most susceptible to new knowledge. I like to think of this perspective as intellectually broadening rather than capability limiting; I believe it is important to acknowledge that, as humans, we are fallible, and that there is always more to be learned.

What do you think is the most important intellectual value mentioned in the philosophy toolkit?