'Intrinsic curiosity' in humans is our modern compromise…
0 reactions
'Intrinsic curiosity' in humans is our modern compromise with determinism. The hypothesis that curious humans seek out novelty regardless of utility is an attempt to segregate pure, rational intellect from our base, animal motives.
A popular hypothesis in psychology, cognitive science, and AI research goes something like this:
>Intrinsic motivation drives agents to explore and learn, independent of extrinsic rewards. — *From Curiosity to Competence* https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.08210
The hypothesis appears in various guises, but always shares these features:
* Curiosity is a built-in human faculty
* The mind searches out novelty in order to learn more about the world
* Your mind seeks knowledge for its own sake, regardless of the utility of what is learned
Putting aside the ambiguous evidence for this hypothesis, the post argues that the belief itself arises from an idealized image of ourselves as rational information seekers. It reflects a desire to segregate our “search for knowledge” from other, base desires (pain, sex, hunger) so as to keep it pure. World-modelling then becomes a search for truth, unbiased by personal prejudice or wishful thinking.
In our modern scientific age, this is one way scientifically-minded people have squared free will with determinism. We can't escape determinism, but we can segregate determinism of *knowledge* from that of *desires*. From the post:
>A basic, overall determinism remains active, but it has been displaced from our motives and desires out into universe. The infinitude of empirical reality now determines our consciousness, becomes our master, and guides the rational superego against the lesser desires of the id. Curiosity puts human fate in the hands of the universe.
#science
A popular hypothesis in psychology, cognitive science, and AI research goes something like this:
>Intrinsic motivation drives agents to explore and learn, independent of extrinsic rewards. — *From Curiosity to Competence* https://arxiv.org/pdf/2507.08210
The hypothesis appears in various guises, but always shares these features:
* Curiosity is a built-in human faculty
* The mind searches out novelty in order to learn more about the world
* Your mind seeks knowledge for its own sake, regardless of the utility of what is learned
Putting aside the ambiguous evidence for this hypothesis, the post argues that the belief itself arises from an idealized image of ourselves as rational information seekers. It reflects a desire to segregate our “search for knowledge” from other, base desires (pain, sex, hunger) so as to keep it pure. World-modelling then becomes a search for truth, unbiased by personal prejudice or wishful thinking.
In our modern scientific age, this is one way scientifically-minded people have squared free will with determinism. We can't escape determinism, but we can segregate determinism of *knowledge* from that of *desires*. From the post:
>A basic, overall determinism remains active, but it has been displaced from our motives and desires out into universe. The infinitude of empirical reality now determines our consciousness, becomes our master, and guides the rational superego against the lesser desires of the id. Curiosity puts human fate in the hands of the universe.
#science
| 2,000 mlx | |
| 6 | |
| 0 |