Curiosity and Meticulosity

Hi, 

Recently, I have been really interested in metaphysical philosophy. This week, I wanted to chat about something I learned. 

I am curious about different metaphysical theories, but I am not that interested. I am not concerned about whether or not the proofs hold up when brought to the furthest logical end. I am honestly not all that interested in finding the true nature of the world. 

I would refer to myself as metaphysically curious, but not overly metaphysically meticulous. 

This week, we are talking about the spectrum of: Curiosity & Meticulosity 

Now it is important to state that I am not framing these as opposites. These live on an x and y access, not on a singular spectrum. It looks like this:

The reason for looking at these in relation to each other is to both determine where you are on the spectrum and to determine durability.

So what is durability? Well, I look at durability in the same way that I look at priority, there is one thing you are fending off. All of the other things that happen and potentially harm the system are not a reflection of the lack of durability, rather are proof that the thing is durable. 

For example, at the end of the day, the primary goal of life is to keep being alive. Without being alive, none of your other goals are possible, therefore it remains the ultimate purpose. 

Looking at the example of staying alive through this definition of durability, all negative things that happen to you that do not end your life are examples of your proven durability.

Now, that is a macro-view of durability, on a microlevel, your goals may have a different “worst case scenario” that can undermine the durability of that goal. For instance, if you are a runner, and you made a decision that ultimately paralyzed you, your durability for your running goals wasn’t strong enough, but the staying alive durability was. 

Okay, that is the idea. Why does it matter? 

We all have ambitions for our time on the earth. There are leaps of faith required to accomplish any goal. The size of the leap of faith varies on the size of the aspiration, thus requiring differing levels of Curiosity and Meticulosity. 

When the best case scenario dramatically outweighs the worst case scenario, not as much Meticulosity is required. When the worst case scenario outweighs the best case scenario, you are lacking Curiosity. 

Let’s look at it closer, the more dangerous the worst case scenario is, the more durability you need in order to withstand the potential negative outcomes. The less advantageous a scenario is the more Curiosity is required to explore what avenues could offer you more advantage. 

So I ask again, why does this matter?

We all have ambition, we all land in different places on the spectrum of Curiosity and Meticulosity; therefore, our risk appetites are all different. 

Most of the time, you will have to find reasons to start, not means to survive. 

If you consider the case of the cat: 

Curiosity caused the cat to test their limits and see what was possible. 

Meticulosity, or a lack thereof, caused the test limits beyond their capabilities. 

Thus, the Cat’s Durability was not sturdy enough to fend off death. 

So if you look at the spectrum and you are high in Curiosity and low on Meticulosity, your concern is not finding best case scenarios, it is actually thinking through the worst case. 

If you are high on Meticulosity and low on Curiosity, your concern is finding best case scenarios good enough to get you to start in the face of worst case scenarios. 

The ultimate lesson is that not having a good enough reason to start is not a reason to do nothing. Not having a good enough best case scenario just means you need to build one. 

Always be curious, just not at the expense of durability. 

Kyle