At first thought, curiosity might seem like something innate, something we are simply born with, interests come and go, and we become curious about certain things at certain times. Many of us may not spend much time reflecting over what makes us curious or how certain hobbies develop. But Curious: The Desire to Know and Why Your Future Depends On It by Ian Leslie focuses on the root causes of curiosity, how it develops, and how curiosity can be stifled through numerous processes. Leslie describes to the reader various forms of curiosity and their role in society. For example, diverse curiosity moves from various subjects, it is “impulsive and irresistible” (p. 5), whereas epistemic curiosity is deeper; involving “sustained cognitive effort” (p. 11), while empathic curiosity involves “thoughts and feelings of other people” (p. xix).

When writing about curiosity, Leslie expands on various topics relating to the expansion and diminishing of curiosity, both when it comes to infants, young children, teenagers and adults. Leslie describes how in the early years being respondent to the pointing and babbling of children, or simply answering questions that children pose (and in their first few years they pose very many, according to Leslie) can help fuel a child’s curiosity. Ignoring the pointing, babbling and not answering a child’s question can have the opposite effect, stifling a child’s curiosity. In fact, Leslie devotes and entire chapter to the power of asking questions and using language as a tool. Leslie also describes the issue of strategic ignorance (how success can breed deliberate ignorance). Leslie points out that rather than answering questions to young children, we at times tend to use technology as a substitute when we feel that we do not have time for our children. The use of technology, especially the Internet, is something that Leslie focuses on greatly throughout the book, and even though he admits that the Internet provides many powerful and important opportunities for learning and satisfying our curiosity, the Internet can have the opposite effect, repressing curiosity. Leslie states that the use of Wikipedia and Google searches, providing a fast, but not necessarily deep and thoughtful answer or reflection to questions that usually probe curiosity, can be problematic. “The Internet provides us with more opportunities to learn than ever before and also allows us not to bother” (p. 85). The Internet can help deepen and expand your interests and assists your curiosity. At the same time, Leslie argues “…if you’re incurious – or, like the most of us, a little lazy – then you will use the Internet to look at pictures of cats and get into arguments with strangers. You will use it to get quick answers to questions that you might otherwise have to take your time over, think harder on, and absorb more deeply as a result” (p. 86).

Another important factor when it comes to curiosity is education. Leslie describes three misapprehensions about learning in schools; that children do not need teachers to instruct them, that facts kill creativity and that schools should teach thinking skills instead of simply knowledge. Leslie states that success through knowing is an important factor in determining future success; even so for young children and that adults can help teach and expand upon a child’s knowledge. Leslie underscores that if “left to their own devices, including digital devices, children get misinformed, distracted and dispirited” (p. 131).

At first it is quite difficult to determine an intended audience when reading a book about curiosity. At the same time, Leslie probably did not have an intended audience in mind when writing the book. Curiosity after all is not a topic for a certain group of people; instead it is central to all of us. We are all curious about certain things, and we could all help develop and sustain creativity in children. I would therefore argue that there is no intended audience when it comes to the book. In fact, everyone interested in or curious about curiosity would benefit from reading the book, as would parents of young children and older children. Leslie writes in a manner than is simultaneously entertaining, serious and easy to understand, and if nothing else the book deserves to be read simply to evoke our curiosity about curiosity. 

© 2014 Hennie Weiss

Hennie Weiss has a Master’s degree in Sociology from California State University, Sacramento. Her academic interests include women’s studies, gender, sexuality and feminism.