This book is in three parts: the first part covers how curiosity works, the second the curiosity divide, and the third staying curious. Leslie argues that curiosity is one of the most important attributes required for our complex and unpredictable world. However, he explains that, “our ideas about how curiosity works are muddled and misguided”. This book provides an accessible overview of curiosity and is a great complementary resource alongside the books Seek and Why, which I reviewed over the past few weeks.
He considers the developmental aspect of curiosity, from babies to children to adults. Much of the book focuses on the importance of curiosity for learning.
There’s a great chapter about the difference between puzzles (where we are searching for a particular answer or piece of information) and mysteries, which are more diversive and open-ended. I found Chapter 4 particularly interesting – it covers the history of curiosity – grouped into what Leslie calls the age of danger, the age of questions and the age of answers (with a great deal of analysis about the role of technology, particularly google and AI). Chapter 6 is also very useful – it considers the power of questions, including what kinds of questions are most helpful for curiosity, and what gets in the way of us asking good questions.
In the final chapter Leslie provides seven tips to stay curious:
Stay foolish
- Build the database
- Forage like a foxhog (deep and wide)
- Ask the big why
- Be a thinkerer
- Question your teaspoons
- Turn puzzles into mysteries
These are explained in detail and I think can also be used as tools to promote curiosity when working with clients in conflict.
If you’d like to know more about curiosity and its role in conflict, check out Part 1 of our Webinar on Demand on the topic here: https://www.conflictmanagementacademy.com/webinar-on-demand-encouraging-curiosity-in-conflict/
(Part 2 will be released later next month)
