CURIOSITY

As here understood, curiosity is a culpably excessive desire to know. When the human mind is confronted with a question, it is naturally moved to make inquiry. Normally the mind does not rest until it is decided that the matter does not merit the trouble of investigation, or that investigation would be fruitless, or until adequate evidence for a judgment is obtained. Moralists consider curiosity as a vice opposed to studiousness. The subject matter for this virtue is not knowledge in itself, but rather the desire to know. This desire is capable of both excess and defect, and hence a particular virtue is required to moderate it according to the norms of right reason. To this virtue curiosity is opposed by way of excess. Though knowledge is a good thing in itself, the desire for it is immoderate and unreasonable when its pursuit involves evil motivation (e.g., pride), or an inordinate waste of time, or injustice to another (e.g., when what one seeks to know is another's rightful secret), or the use of illegitimate means (e.g., divination or traffic with evil spirits), or when the knowledge would be likely to constitute a serious occasion of sin (e.g., for ordinary people and under ordinary circumstances, knowledge of the contents of a truly pornographic book). Curiosity in its common occurrences is not a grave sin, but it can be serious by reason of circumstances, as when it leads to the unjust exploration of the secrets of others or the invasion of their privacy, or when it causes one to commit grave sin of other kinds.

Bibliography: thomas aquinas, Summa Theologiae, 2a2ae, 167. f. l. b. cunningham, ed., The Christian Life (Dubuque 1959).

[t. c. kane]