What Is Curiosophy?
About four years ago, I started a site / podcast called “Curiosophy Now.” The endeavor melded a few different elements — one being my conviction that it was when I was most curious that I was most psychologically and mentally healthy. I still essentially believe that — it’s when I’m isolated that I am most vulnerable, and it’s when I’m most certain of my convictions that I’m most isolated.
I find that certainty cuts me off from the pursuit of knowing more. When I’m curious, I’m asking “Who are you, and why, how, what, etc.?” This pulls me out of my habit and into the cosmos that surrounds.
More, the etymology of “curiosity” is rather charming. Related to “cure,” it all boils to “care” — more to unite it to those elements of service that ask us to extend our energies beyond ourselves.
It’s also related to “curate” — and that’s part of what Curiosophy Now did — it curated material from across the web, from across philosophy, poetry, religion, etcetera. And a “Curate” in Anglican Christianity is a Pastor who provides spiritual care. I tried to provide a little of this in the posts I selected — bits of poetry, and writing on justice and religion. My mantra was “Restoration.”
But I haven’t really kept it up. For about a year, I published a podcast per month or so, primarily interviewing people from the Blogginheads.tv network:
Robert Wright, author of Why Buddhism is True, Nonzero, The Evolution of God, and The Moral Animal and writer who’s appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, Wired, The Atlantic, and many other places
John Horgan, teacher, writer for Scientific American, and author of Pay Attention, Rational Mysticism, The End of Science, and others.
Nikita Petrov, creator of Psychopolitica.
Jason Novak, Cartoonist and Illustrator
Bill Scher, pundit and writer for The Washington Monthly, and elsewhere
Matt Lewis, writer for The Daily Beast, and author of Too Dumb to Fail
and Several Others!
I think another aspect of the idea was that the truth is revealed in segments, and we catch glimpses of it only in portion, as we’re confined to our bias-slanted perspectives. Taking to different types of guests helped me to leave my comfort zone and ask questions I'd never asked before.
Thankfully, I've found a more centered place on the other side of 2021. I've spent the entire first month of the year sober (and indeed only had two lapses since November 3rd), and have my roots buried back down in Buddhism as I still celebrate Christianity (two of my Curiosophy interviews dealt with this: the ones with David Klemm and Catherine Deming). I've jumped into my new role leading Recovery Dharma meetings, and truly believe that I'm moving in the right direction.
Curiosophy has been a vehicle for me to make this voyage. I'm not sure that it's my primary vehicle, anymore.
So what's next for Crispin?
You'll know as soon as I do.