Intellectual curiosity is a curious thing. It seems to be number one on the list for recruiters and yet it is so abstract. What is this thing called “intellectual curiosity” that I am supposed to posses? Is there some sort of handbook or 10-step process to obtaining it? Well, throughout the course of my ethics class this semester I think I’ve finally figured it out.
Intellectual curiosity is the art or skill of asking questions. More than that, however, it is knowing which questions to ask and when to ask them, not to mention knowing whom to ask them to. We learned in class that one of the greatest cognitive errors we tend to make is overconfidence, specifically in asking questions. As the prideful human beings that we are we tend to only ask questions we already know the answers to. We assume we have the right answers and then seek to ask questions that confirm that which we think we know. What if I don't have the right answer? Funny how that might be possible, since I haven't even asked the question yet. Asking tough questions is part of intellectual curiosity. For example, questions like, "How much of my judgment is emotion?" or "Would I conclude the same if I was an objective observer, or in a better mood?" Asking questions like these forces us to admit the possibility of imperfection, requiring humility in the greatest sense of the word.
It is interesting to note the thoughts of an Enron trader in the aftermath of the tragic downfall of America's seventh largest company. He remarked, "I didn't ask WHY enough." Being ethical is more about the questions we ask then the answers we give. In large firms or complicated processes it is easy to get caught up in the isolationism of it all, thinking only of one’s job or one’s self in particular. Sharon Watkins, the whistleblower for Enron, said she tried understand the business model of the company for whom she worked (to avoid this mentality of isolationism), but once she started asking questions, she found that no one could give her any answers. She states, "I need to be able to account for my behavior and explain why" (paraphrased). Intellectual curiosity leads us to take ownership for our actions, ultimately facing the ethical (or unethical) nature of them.
When faced with an ethical dilemma, the question is not, "What should I do?" but rather, "Who am I?" Throughout the semester I've been keeping an ethics insight journal, recording my thoughts on subjects discussed in class or in the readings. More often, however, I found myself writing about the ethical dilemmas I face everyday, specifically as a BYU student. A lot of times I don't even see a particular situation as an ethical dilemma at all, simply because I already know who I am and how I will respond in that situation when I'm faced with it. Other times, however, a dilemma arises that I have not previously encountered and I am forced to decide. It is in these moments that my intellectual curiosity guides me to ask questions. I've realized over the course of the semester that it is ok if I don't know what I'm supposed to do, as long as I'm willing to venture down the path to determining it. This, my friends, is intellectual curiosity. Asking questions. I may have good innate ethics (due largely to my upbringing), but I am not immune to unethical behavior. Great leaders think about ethics all of the time. As my professor would say, "Don't be an ethical maverick! Ask questions!" Don't try to answer your own questions.
In ethics this semester I’ve learned not only what intellectual curiosity is, but also how to implement it into my life. Ethics is a skill, a large part of which is intellectual curiosity. In his final remarks to us as a class Professor Thompson said two things, “Remember to ask questions” and “Remember that you can do extraordinary things.” I believe these two things are interrelated. It is only by asking questions that we expand our mind’s horizon, becoming morally aware and leading to the accomplishment of extraordinary things, things we would never think ourselves capable of otherwise.
This is the paper I wrote for my ethics final so I realize it is kind of long for a blog post and that there are references to readings that won't make sense. Regardless, it encompasses a lot of what I've learned this semester, so I thought I would share it. I promise you'll have lots to think about, and maybe learn somethings as well, if you venture to read it all the way through :)
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