Educational System Impact
Note: One of Pete Kaminski's theories about Curiosity and Attention decline mentioned during the OGM 2025-11-06 call.
Pete's Theory
One possibility for why people seem less curious: "Our educational system that trains passion and agency out of people"
The Question
Is curiosity decline due to:
- Typical human development (people naturally become less curious as they age)?
- Educational system that actively suppresses natural curiosity?
- Social contagion (being incurious as way to cope with overwhelming future)?
Pete is "torn between" these explanations.
The Mechanism
If education is the cause:
- Standardized testing: Rewards right answers over good questions
- Compliance focus: Sitting still, following rules
- Subject separation: Fragmented rather than integrated learning
- Authority-based: Teacher knows, student receives
- Time pressure: No space for genuine inquiry
- Grades: Extrinsic motivation replacing intrinsic curiosity
Counterexample
Mike Nelson's daughter: Her greatest gift from him was "instilling a deep sense of curiosity deep in her being"
Suggests curiosity CAN be cultivated despite system.
Related Discussion
Scott: Perhaps it's not curiosity loss but attention loss from information overload
Jerry: Blames "consumerization of our world, which dumbs us down"
Implications
If education is the problem:
- Need to redesign for curiosity
- Protect natural wondering
- Enable genuine questions
- Create space for exploration
- Value process over product
Related Concepts
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