topic: [[Thinking]] created: 2024-08-02 *The unmeasured fire within that stokes curiosity.* ##### what is it? > "Need for cognition, or NFC, is a scientific measure of intellectual curiosity." ##### why does it matter? NFC matters because while we have a genetic setpoint of our NFC, we also can set up exercises that strengthen our NFC, or ways of interfacing with the world that satisfy a type of superficial NFC but don't create new ideas. Indeed diversive curiosity is probably what is our distraction generator. The [[attention economy]] tries to satisfy our diversive curiosity by providing ever fresh possible things to steal our attention. However, by never creating a new connection, we don't get real satisfaction, creating a feedback loop making us look for the next thing. ##### This reminds me of By cultivating [[epistemic humility]] we instead seek to satisfy our [[epistemic curiosity]], driving us towards closure in productive instead of unproductive ways. ##### What would the opposite argument be? Isn't NFC a marker of privilege? Who has even the time to experience NFC? tags: #note/idea| #on/curiosity ##### Sources: Leslie, I. (2014). _Curious: The desire to know and why your future depends on it_. Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus Books Group.