Curious?

And yet, intolerance and absolute certainty are the hallmarks of religion in society. Thus the terror in Iran, the angst about homosexual marriage, and the murder of abortion clinic doctors.

BTW, did you know that Francis Bacon is rumored to be the illegitimate spawn of Elizabeth I and Robert Dudley?

good to hear from you again.
Scientists and non-scientists alike are constantly trying to parse the differences between spirituality and religion. Often I have no idea what people mean by spirituality because almost every person uses a different definition and that definition can often be broken down into mundane terms (being linked to something larger than the self, openness to the fact that we can never understand everything in the world, a sense of belonging, viewing certain objects and people as sacred/special). I have no idea what spirituality means but I think you hit on some interesting points about what might make religion unique from other organized philosophies.

And thanks for the historical gossip! I guess some juicy tidbits never lose their luster with time...

cheers,
Todd

At a large utility I worked at I knew a man who had unbounded curiosity in & outside the bounds you would culturally consider of a 55 year-old man. Yet he was greatly respected by both executive and line management alike. Why the respect when most in middle management were considered frozen turkeys who couldn't decide to poop or wipe if the execs didn't put it on the attainment metrix? He brought solutions. Rarely did the execs agree or fund his solutions but he brought them none the same.

My point- At least in business, people need to bring solutions, not just the "curiosity" of a problem. And ultimately, you have to present with "certainy" if you have any hope of influencing resources toward your solution.

Curiosity is a first step of considering alternatives with more likely positive outcomes. But at some point, you have to stand on the information you have at that point.

Bacon's death may not have been so interesting if the chicken never froze.

Good Day- Dg

Doug, thanks for the fantastic addition to my post. You added a dynamic element. Yes, there is a beautiful interplay between when to be curious and when to be confident in an idea. Similarly, there is a beautiful interplay between seeking out new knowledge and experiences and taking time away to integrate and make sense of this newness with what is already known. We can't be on the prowl for newness all the time or else we would gain nothing but transitory boosts of pleasure and meaning.

cheers,
Todd

Hi Todd

As always, very interesting, relevant and thought-provoking.

A bit too provocative, maybe? I think a title like "Curiosity killed the man" would have served your purposes sufficiently well, without the fall-out that your present title may have (and loss of interest from a number of people who could so much benefit from studying your work...).

And secondly: I think it is useful to highlight that, even though our society doesn't reward curiosity, our organism seems to do so, in a way that can very well make up for the lack of external reward (I do think the culture in Europe is a bit different than in the United States, though).
For instance: I'm sure that the kind of curiosity that you describe highly correlates with tha activation of what Jaap Panksepp, in his great "Affective Neuroscience" has described as the "Seeking System". And the Seeking System is dopaminergic.

Related to this: the research done at the Paris-based "Institute of Environmental Medecine" srongly suggests that curiosity is one of the main attitudes that help us let go of stress of all kinds (the other ones identified: acceptance (= remaining curious when things don't seem to go well), differentiation, relativisation, reflection and individuation. What's more: these 6 "prefrontalizing" attitudes show high intercorrelation, which suggests that if we develop one of these six qualities, we indirectly facilitate the emergence of the five other ones as well.

With curiosity about future exchanges with you,

Maarten

Maarten,

So glad you chimed in. Part of me says you're right, too provocative. Then again, I hope that most people can withstand the mere mention of JC, especially when there is not an iota of criticism. What a shame if deeply held beliefs that are supposed to bring people composure and compassion could lead to immediate, intense emotional reactions when discussed. By all historical accounts, he appears to be an amazing, inspirational figure that every human being can learn from. He also appears to have lacked defensiveness and emotional reactivity when people challenged him. In sum, he has a litany of characteristics worthy of emulation and there is no reason for anyone to get defensive about the use of his name. If they do, I hope they spend a mere 5 minutes to consider why....I promise to do the same if I get defensive.

Upon returning from an international positive psychology conference and meeting cool cats from around the globe, I agree, that plenty of societies reward curiosity and exploration more than the U.S.

Great point about parallels with Jaak's Seeking System. I make this connection explicit in the book.

I am not familiar with the work by the Institute of Environmental Medecine in Paris but if you have papers that have been translated, I would love to read them. Sounds fascinating.

cheers,
Todd

Mother- The Hallmarks of religion also include charity and tolerance. I am with Todd in my curiosity of what "religion" is.

Consider this: Historically, for the 700 years AD or so the orthodox were intolerant of the Christians, then for the next 700 years or so the Christians offered a little pay back. Then a bit of curiosity about exactly how scriptures were being interpreted reverted a large group of Christians back to the beginning practices of the Christian Church and they spent the next couple of centuries alternatively paying each other back. And don't forget Islam in all this....

My point: Curiosity can and should exist even among those anchored within a certain set of "religious" moral beliefs. Those beliefs should act as guideposts for exploration.

The curious among us ask why are we so certain? Why should we persecute this group and not that group or why persecute at all...Perhaps many religion's hallmarks would be less gruesome if more followers were curious....

As to the controversial title- what makes Jesus' death more interesting is that his body didn't stick around like a frozen turkey

Good Day!
Dg

Doug, you have a way with endings.
Thanks for teaching me a few things I didn't know.

Whenever my husband or I are asked what we collect, we reply: "Experiences!"

You bet it takes you out of your comfort zone. But it also helps you grow as a person. Never been one to spend my life on the couch watching TV (sounds like a death sentence to me!!)