by Tracey Metivier, October 5, 2004
List of Concepts related to Admirable Curiosity generated in Part One
-Openness
-Pursuit of knowledge
-Adventurousness
-Self-assurance
-Sense of Wonderment
-Attentiveness
Openness or "being open" is a very key element in a discussion of admirable curiosity but this concept needs to be tested to reveal how it precisely connects. Is there a scenario in which openness is not tied to admirable curiosity?
Take for example Sally who grows up in a small town and never leaves. Sally has no interest in traveling, reading, learning, or even meeting people outside of the ones she has known her whole life. Sally did what she had to do in school to pass and get a diploma but never felt moved or interested in anything she was taught. Sally doesn't pursue art, music, sports, or hobbies of any kind. Sally could be candid, frank with her feelings, and be willing to hear what others had to say. This would make Sally an open person, but not a curious person. This story makes it clear that admirable curiosity isn't about being honest or straightforward, although those are positive things; it is about being unafraid to change or grow.
Taking this another step, I believe it is not just about being unafraid, but actually pursuing development. This is how openness relates to admirable curiosity. There must be a willingness to let your guard down and invite in new thoughts and experiences. This element of the description is important because it addresses the fact that this kind of openness must interact with the framework of life. For example, we may not all have the advantage of going on safari in Africa but admirable curiosity asks us to nurture a voice that urges us to find out more about Africa. Maybe it is through books, or watching the Discovery Channel, or trying to meet people who are from Africa and talking about their experiences. The action we choose to take is not what is important to the virtue it is the motivation.
It seems impossible to have a discussion about admirable curiosity and not include the "desire to pursue knowledge", but this concept is one of the more difficult ones to refine because it is so closely related to preconceived societal notions of education and its purpose. To test the connection between the two I will tell a story in which someone has a desire to pursue knowledge but does not have admirable curiosity.
Tom studies finance and has a desire to know everything there is to know about the stock market, not for his own edification but only to make as much money as possible and be perceived as successful by his peers. Tom has a desire to pursue knowledge but this desire doesn't have anything to do with admirable curiosity. In an attempt to refine the concept of a pursuit of knowledge there has to be an acknowledgement of accumulating knowledge simply for the sake of learning. This addresses the fact that knowledge and learning can, but do not necessarily have to be part of academics to be incorporated into admirable curiosity. It is also important to note that accumulating knowledge for practical purposes is not in opposition to admirable curiosity but it is more accurate to say they can often run parallel. It is not the actual act of learning or knowledge acquisition that are part of admirable curiosity because those are simply actions that can have multiple purposes which can be both admirable and not.
So, it is more accurate to include as part of admirable curiosity an appetite for delving into things than the actual consumption of knowledge. The following scenario will highlight this concept.
If Jill was stuck alone on a desert island with no library or newspaper or books or museums she would have no way of accumulating knowledge in the conventional sense and no one to communicate with or learn from. Jill could still possess an appetite for observation, awareness, questioning, and exploring, despite the removal of any concrete methods for actualizing this drive. In this sense Jill could still possess admirable curiosity.
The next concept in need of refinement "adventurous" can encapsulate motivations very different then what I perceive as admirable curiosity, so it is important to fully interpret exactly what type of adventurousness is part of my discussion. The kind of adventurous nature that I relate to curiosity can be expressed as having a willingness to engage in new experiences or thoughts. This description needs further refinement so I believe a story is needed.
Take Billy who likes to jump off cliffs just for the rush of the experience. Billy is bored by life most of the time and is addicted to the kind of adrenaline high he gets from being reckless. Is Billy adventurous? Definitely, but does he possess admirable curiosity? I don't believe so because life in general bores Billy, so it is more an addiction to pushing the envelope then it is curiosity.
So what specific type of "adventurousness" is associated with admirable curiosity? It seems to have something to do with immersing yourself and being present in life. This could express itself in many different ways. This aspiration to dive into life could also be seen as an eagerness to expand your circle of understanding even when it is frightening or challenging, but what you fill that circle with is completely individual. Let's return to Billy from the last story to see what he is doing in contrast. Billy does not possess admirable curiosity because instead of trying to expand his circle, he is just trying to break out of it by activating intense emotion. An example that more closely relates to what I find admirable curiosity would be James who lives a quiet life in the country and each day he takes a walk in the same woods and notices something new, he wonders about the interconnectedness of the species, writes poetry about a bird's call, and reads Thoreau wondering about the similarity of their thoughts. What James fills his circle with may not seem "adventurous" to most people but James's willingness to be exposed to the world around him continues to broaden his mind.
The next concept on my list is self-assurance and as I thought more deeply about the essence of admirable curiosity I found that this aspect is essential. A story in which self-assurance is not a part of admirable curiosity might make the connection between the two easier to refine. An example of having self-assurance and not having admirable curiosity could be told in the story of Daisy who believes she has all the right answers and goes to school simply waiting to raise her hand and show everyone her brilliance. Daisy is self-assured, she has studied and believes that she knows everything there is to know, so she doesn't listen to what anyone else has to say and just rethinks her own thoughts during class. Daisy is closed off from thought by her own self importance and a desire for others to view her as intelligent. She is protecting a self image that is based on the belief that she knows everything which leaves no room for admirable curiosity. Self-assurance as it relates to admirable curiosity should represent not being afraid to challenge what is familiar or known. In saying that a person has to "not be afraid" I am using the absence of something, in this case fear, instead of the presence of something. It is important to ask what it is in a person that allows them to challenge what they already know. I believe self-assurance as an aspect of admirable curiosity is a fearlessness and fortitude in the pursuit of a greater insight which would include letting go of the need to believe you possess unchangeable knowledge. The insecure desire to only reinforce knowledge and experience which is familiar cannot be the basis for self-assurance or it will inhibit additional growth and lead to stagnation. Another interconnected way to view self-assurance as it relates to admirable curiosity is to understand that security in self cannot stem from other people's perceptions of you. This is important to this discussion because it addresses the fact that admirable curiosity has to be something that is sought as the fulfillment of an internal goal and not as an outward manifestation presented so that others may see us as smart, successful, etc.
The next concept "a sense of wonderment" relates to admirable curiosity as inspiration or the internal spark that motivates interest. I will tell a story in which someone has wonderment but does not have admirable curiosity so I can clarify what part of wonderment is part of admirable curiosity. It is 1969, on TV Joe is watching the first man walk on the moon. Joe is astonished and speechless, he is filled with wonderment at the sight of something he thought would never happen, but after the image leaves the screen Joe changes the channel and watches Andy Griffith, then he goes to bed, gets up, goes to work, and returns to a daily routine of mechanical repetition where each day is the same as the day before and Joe barely thinks about anything. Obviously, Joe was able to experience the wonderment of a moment but he does not have admirable curiosity because he remains shut off, and doesn't allow that wonderment to become internalized motivation for further thought. So, what is it about a sense of wonderment that ties it to admirable curiosity? Wonderment as it relates to admirable curiosity is an individual's internal impetus for interest and absorption that promotes gratification and fulfillment in an ever deepening comprehension of the world. For wonderment to be a part of curiosity it must encompass a desire to more deeply penetrate the world around you.
The next concept is attentiveness which is also a very important aspect of what I perceive to be admirable curiosity. To test the concept of attentiveness I will tell a story in which someone has attentiveness but does not have admirable curiosity. Ralph is a security guard and he has the overnight shift at a laboratory. Ralph makes the rounds, listens carefully to every sound, watches the surveillance cameras, and is always alert to any activity around the perimeter of the building. One day, one of Ralph's friends asks him what kind of lab it is that he is guarding, what do they work on there? Ralph replies that he doesn't know. He never cared to ask. Ralph eats dinner in the same break room with several lab technicians and scientists but he has never had a desire to speak to them or ask what they work on. In this story we can clearly see that Ralph possess attentiveness but he doesn't have admirable curiosity. Attentiveness can be described as an interest in what is around you, an ability to notice and analyze what makes something unique, a diligent consciousness. Attentiveness is attached to alertness but as it relates to admirable curiosity alertness to the world must lead to a yearning for reasoning and enlightenment through thought and experience.
The concepts previously tested and refined share connections in their relationship to admirable curiosity. Take for example openness which as a part of admirable curiosity is that internal voice that encourages you to see the opportunity for exposure and growth in your life promoting development and preventing stagnation. This openness unlocks the door to the concept of a pursuit of knowledge because it reveals all the available paths. The pursuit of knowledge is related to admirable curiosity when it is an inner motivation for continual movement towards a deeper comprehension of the infinite unknown. For the pursuit of knowledge to be part of admirable curiosity it should be endless but mutable, both of which require the illumination of openness to allow for evolution of thought and experience. The pursuit of knowledge related to admirable curiosity also requires that the motivation be internal which relates to self-assurance. Openness and a pursuit of knowledge can only be effective as aspects of admirable curiosity when self-assurance is there to subdue fear and resistance to new challenges. Self-assurance as it relates to admirable curiosity involves an inner strength of character which encourages the realization that current perceptions and experiences may be limiting or flawed thus promoting inquiry to change or broaden what is familiar. There is a presence of mind that encourages the freedom to break apart or add to what you known. When satisfaction and contentment in self are present you can refrain from clinging to current beliefs and knowledge as a means to reinforce your worth. This security allows an individual to believe in their abilities to strive for knowledge and experience the world. This is where adventurousness is connected. Self-assurance facilitates adventurousness in the sense that it provides a safe place to fall down and make mistakes, encouraging you to embrace the fluidity of knowledge and experience. Adventurousness reinforces the importance of self-assurance because as your circle broadens your life becomes fuller, more complex and interconnected so you are more likely to build a stronger value in yourself while realizing the tentativeness of what is familiar to you in the world. In this sense I see admirable curiosity existing when adventurousness goes hand in hand with self-assurance to allow openness and a pursuit of knowledge to flourish. A sense of wonderment and attentiveness are the two stones that are struck together creating a spark that ignites the whole thing. Wonderment as it relates to admirable curiosity is a capacity to experience genuine awe at the infinite nature of meaning, but it is also having the faculty for excitement and interest that motivates a connection and devotion to crafting thought and reason. This sense wonderment answers the "why" of admirable curiosity. For you to become more open, be motivated to pursue knowledge, be self-assured, and adventurous you would have to feel encouraged by a force that makes the world seem worth knowing more deeply. This force comes from within as wonderment. This capacity for wonderment can be enhanced by the depth with which we observe and engage in our world, and this is where attentiveness comes in.
Ultimately, like so many virtues, the virtue of curiosity when it is always and only admirable is about how it enriches ones life. I propose that admirable curiosity is an adaptive connection with the world that promotes expansion in understanding. By adaptive I am talking about an ability to modify and remodel what is familiar based on an internal openness to opportunity, growth, and development. Adaptive is also referring to a self-assurance that can be described as a certainty which quells anxiety allowing an individual's uninhibited spirit to connect with the unfamiliar even when there is contradiction with what is already known and accepted. By connection to the world I am referring to an individual's relationship to thought, experience, and communication. This connection is formed through attentiveness which can be described as a capacity to be aware and receptive that grows into questioning, constructing meaning, and meditating on new ideas. Connection in the sense of admirable curiosity must also have a deeper meaning which results from a sense of wonderment. This sense of wonderment can be described as a devotion to be linked to the world through any and all means of thought, experience, and communication which is born out of truly marveling at the possibilities of your own individual life. This in turn promotes expansion in understanding, and by this I am referring to this connection's ability to encourage adventurousness. In the case of admirable curiosity I am referring to adventurousness when it is a broadening of the mind by widening your circle of understanding and more deeply rooting yourself in the world through contemplation and experience. Understanding in the context of admirable curiosity can be encapsulated in a desire to pursue knowledge described as an eagerness to cultivate experiences and thoughts with the tools and resources available to you. In light of this full description I will reiterate that my definition of a Platonic form of the virtue of curiosity would be an adaptive connection with the world that promotes expansion in understanding.
(Paper by Tracey Metivier Fall 2004)