Is Curiosity a Sin? Thomas Aquinas on Curiosity vs. Studiousness

Understanding Curiosity and Studiousness

• 💡 Thomas Aquinas viewed curiosity negatively, defining it as an interest in things that are unimportant or irrelevant to one's duties.
• 🎯 The internet and social media are designed to facilitate this kind of curiosity, encouraging users to go down rabbit holes.
• 🔑 Studiousness, conversely, implies a focused engagement with one's essential tasks and responsibilities.

Curiosity as Voluntary Distraction

• 🧠 Curiosity, in Aquinas's sense, is a voluntary indulgence in distraction, rather than an accidental one.
• ⚠️ Habitually engaging in distractions, like watching cat videos when one should be working, exemplifies this vice.
• 🧩 This differs from dissociation, which is engaging in distracting activity to distance oneself from oneself.

Sloth and the Avoidance of Duty

• ⚡ The vice of sloth (acedia) is not mere laziness but sadness at a great task one is called to.
• 📚 An example is spending an afternoon alphabetizing books when one should be writing a dissertation, a form of fleeing from difficult work.
• 🚫 This can manifest in destructive ways like excessive video games or pornography, which numb one to reality.

The Virtue of Play and Restorative Breaks

• 🎭 While play can be a virtue, it becomes problematic when it serves as an escape from responsibilities.
• ⚖️ Aquinas suggests that, like a bowstring needing to be loosened, the mind needs rest to avoid burnout.
• 🚶 Restorative breaks, like taking a walk or fly fishing, allow the mind to be occupied yet free, offering a healthy balance.
• ✅ Engaging in activities like enjoying a cigar without technology can be more restful than being agitated by constant digital engagement.