Cultural Dimensions of Curiosity

The conversation revealed how curiosity is shaped by cultural context, with different societies valuing and expressing curiosity in distinct ways.

The Core Insight

LP1 (Louise) stated:

"Curiosity is individual and cultural."

We cannot understand curiosity as purely personal or purely social - it's both.

Japanese Culture and Curiosity

Victoria (Spain) raised the question:

"Is curiosity universally perceived as a quality? What about countries such as Japan where people are not supposed to ask?"

Pete Kaminski provided detailed context (co-created with AI):

Japanese culture values 探求心 (tankyūshin, focused desire to discover and understand deeply, rooted in long traditions of scholarship and the shokunin spirit, where traits like 精進 (shōjin, diligent effort), 向学心 (kōgakushin, desire to learn), and 好奇心 (kōkishin, curiosity) are admired.

However, Japanese curiosity is expressed within cultural values:

謙虚 (kenkyo, humility) - modest, not self-aggrandizing
和 (wa, social harmony) - preserving group cohesion
配慮 (hairyo, consideration for others) - showing respect for shared space

Pete noted:

"For Americans accustomed to openly expressing personal curiosity, these values function as social cues that curiosity should be pursued in ways that avoid disruption, preserve group cohesion, and show respect for shared space."

Victoria added from experience: "I have experience with japanese students" - confirming these dynamics in educational settings.

European vs American Perspectives

Victoria (Spain) observed:

"AI always ignores us, Europeans, the middle ground 😭"

"What we need is an non-US dominated internet for our training models 😂"

She recommended Mistral AI as offering more European-centric perspectives.

Pete Kaminski acknowledged:

"It was me ignoring Europeans -- I specifically asked about American values, to contrast with Japanese, because at least I know one side of that comparison."

And reflected:

"It wouldn't be easy, but it could be done to collect European-centric information to train models. Europe does have a wealth of information going back centuries that would be super valuable."

Gil Friend noted: "Sometimes there's lots of source material that's not digital."

French Directness

LP1 (Louise):

"The French are very direct!!"

Gil Friend wondered:

"Perhaps with regional differences even in France... Certainly so within the US"

Spanish Regional Differences

Victoria (Spain):

"People in Catalonia (Barcelona) are really private before incorporating any foreigner into their family circles (says a woman from Madrid that lived there for 40 years)"

This shows how curiosity and social openness vary even within a single country.

Etiquette as Cultural Curriculum

Pete Kaminski noted:

"Navigating that social practice may be something that people have to be helped to learn, but it's pretty easy to learn."

Gil Friend:

"@Pete Kaminski This used to be taught as 'etiquette'"

This raised questions about what happens when etiquette traditions break down or vary across groups.

Games Have Rules, Cultures Have Norms

Gil Friend:

"All games have rules. Cultures/subcultures/social classes have norms. Sometimes these are taught, sometimes learned, sometimes not. Some of the discomfort we're reporting might have to do with interacting across different assumption sets."

This suggests much of what appears as "declining curiosity" might be cultural mismatch.

Gender and Curiosity

Pete Kaminski shared insights from his wife Johanne:

"Men are acculturated to not be curious, especially about women, about lots of stuff, right?"

"In a way, it was a kind of women's work, that she doesn't mind doing because it's not the worst thing that women have to do in this world. She was always... she felt like she was always the one who were like, you know, it's not that hard, guys. Just ask questions."

Stacey Druss added a power dynamics perspective:

"As someone who sometimes feels, or has felt disempowered, sometimes curiosity can feel like I have to explain myself."

This suggests curiosity isn't neutral - it can reinforce or challenge power structures depending on who's asking whom.

Kids These Days vs Cultural Difference

Gil Friend reframed:

"Possible more general case than 'kids these days': someone different (generation, gender, geography, etc etc…)?"

What we perceive as generational incuriosity might be any form of cultural difference.

Columbus and Cultural Curiosity

Victoria (Spain):

"Curiosity is larger than education. Colon was curious enough to get onto that boat and sail to reach the Americas"

Jerry Michalski: "or perhaps desperate and greedy enough? 🙂"

Victoria: "We could discuss that, but all adventurers had curiosity. And Colon made quite a bet that the world was spheric"

This sparked reflection on whether conquest and colonization should be framed as curiosity.

Scott Moehring:

"What feels 'undiscovered' now? Does it feel compelling?"

Culture Shock Series

Jerry Michalski: "The Culture Shock series were good"

Reference to books that helped people navigate cultural differences - a curriculum for cross-cultural curiosity.

Unanswered Questions

How do we cultivate curiosity across cultures without imposing one culture's norms?
Is direct questioning (American style) more or less curious than patient observation (Japanese style)?
Can we build AI and online spaces that don't privilege one cultural expression of curiosity?
How do we distinguish between appropriate cultural reserve and lack of curiosity?

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