── ── Mental model
Curiosity Learning Curve
Biological learning capacity remains measurable into the 70s and 80s. The bottleneck is not biology — it is curiosity. When curiosity drops to near zero in a domain, the cascade is predictable: curiosity lost → learning capacity lost. The framework maps three curves against age: biological age (linear), curiosity (peaks in childhood, declines with neglect), and learning capacity (follows curiosity…
How it works
Output artifact: Curiosity Audit + Reactivation Experiment Design or Domain Transition Plan
1. Map domain portfolio. List every domain you work in or claim expertise in. Gate: ≥3 domains. 2. Rate curiosity 1-5. 5 = hunting surprises; 3 = functional; 1 = autopilot. Gate: base on behavior — new sources sought in past 30 days. 3. Diagnose any domain rated ≤2. (a) WHEN it dropped; (b) WHY — plateau, bad experience, changed context, or relevance loss. Gate: specific answers required. 4. Classify: reversible or terminal. Reversible = still connects to meaningful goals, edges exist. Terminal = no goal connection, no intervention changes that. 5. For reversible: 30-day reactivation experiment — target a specific edge, create gap-perception conditions, criterion: "[N] new questions." For terminal: plan transition with date, destination, and competence transfer. 6. Stop-rule: Zero new questions after 30 days = likely terminal. Plan the transition; do not repeat.
Curiosity Audit — [date] Domain Portfolio: Domain · Rating (1-5) · Evidence · Last surprise Low-Curiosity Diagnosis: Domain · When declined · Why · Reversible? Reactivation Experiment: Domain · Edge targeted · Evaluation: "[N] new questions in 30 days" Terminal Transition: Domain · Exit date · Destination · What carries forward
When to use it
- user says 'I used to love this but don't anymore', 'I feel like I've stopped learning', 'I go through the motions but nothing excites me', 'how do I stay curious as I get older', or a domain expert's knowledge has visibly stagnated despite continued effort
When not to use it
When the decision is routine and reversible, applying a formal method costs more than it returns.
Worked example
Michael Faraday's Curiosity Discipline (1791-1867)
Michael Faraday had no formal education beyond elementary school. He began as a bookbinder's apprentice and taught himself natural philosophy through the books he bound. His curiosity management across a 50-year scientific career is one of the most documented cases of deliberately maintained intellectual curiosity in a single person's life.
Install this skill (free, MIT)
npx skills add deciqAI/knowledge-skills