Name: Templeton World Charity Foundation, Inc.
Price range: $

KEY INSIGHTS:

• Epistemic vigilance—a skill akin to critical thinking—is vital to reducing polarization, especially in conflict settings characterized by contested 'truths.'

• 'Truth' is context-dependent and difficult to quantify because history is experienced differently by individuals. Acknowledging that multiple truths can co-exist is one form of epistemic vigilance.

• School curriculums and family beliefs play a significant role in shaping young people's aptitude for changing opinions, especially regarding conflict-related polarized narratives.

• Catholic-maintained schools are more likely to teach modules related to The Troubles (a violent, sectarian conflict between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland, 1960s-1998) than State-controlled and/or Protestant schools. This difference in systematic exposure to this historical narrative creates fertile grounds for polarization.

• Interaction between different communities helps demystify divides, making it easier to engage in respectful debates and fostering understanding.

Dr. Jocelyn Dautel, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast, Dr. Bethany Corbett Lecturer in Psychology, Ulster University, and their colleagues are investigating how polarization persists among young people in the historically divided society of Northern Ireland.

In this video the researchers highlight some of their recent findings, including what they discovered through large language model (LLM) analysis of textbooks, and offer insights into what can be done to foster knowledge and peace.

The video also features participants in a program called "Shared Education," a curriculum that brought students from a Catholic school and a Protestant school together to learn alongside and about each other.

Watch the below video TO LEARN MORE

“Young people are are motivated to find their own truths, to form their own identities, to potentially disidentify from parts of their past that are keeping the society divided.

The more we can foster that and help these young people who are going to be the next leaders, the better—and the closer we'll get to peace.”

Dr. Jocelyn Dautel, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Queen’s University Belfast

Find out more about the related TWCF-funded project here.

Explore our Listening and Learning in a Polarized World priority here.

Related blog post: Is ‘Truth’ as Objective as We Think?

Templeton World Charity Foundation’s “Stories of Impact” videos by journalist and senior media executive Richard Sergay feature human stories and critical perspectives on breakthroughs about the universe’s big questions. The inspiring narratives and observations in these award-winning videos portray the individual and societal impacts of the projects that bring to life TWCF-supported research.