Stanley Fish writes about the religious tradition that condemns curiosity:
[The curious] have no power of self-control because they have no allegiance — to a deity, to human flourishing, to community — that might serve as a check on their insatiable curiosity. (Curiosity is inherently insatiable; its satisfactions are only momentary; there is always another horizon.) In short, curiosity — sometimes called research, sometimes called unfettered inquiry, sometimes called progress, sometimes called academic freedom — is their God. The question, posed by thinkers from Aquinas to Augustine to Newman to Griffiths, is whether this is the God — the God, ultimately, of self — we want to worship. Given the evidence…the answer would seem to be yes.
Peter Lawler adds his thoughts.The Dish considers curiosity more virtue than vice. But then we would, wouldn't we?
(Photo by Iain Crawford. More here. Hat tip: Nerdcore)
The Dish 