Exploring curiosity: from Antiquity to Endurance

In her ongoing deep dive, Redvespa Senior Consultant Pam Wright gives context to curiosity by exploring its evolution from caves and philosophers to explorers and Redvespa's own work and research.‍

I feel invigorated by the talk of curiosity. I have been down some rabbit holes, I have been on, and off, topic in my pursuit of learning and growth. It’s been fun.

For me, curiosity has best been defined as when you hold your arm out and clench your fist. Think of everything in your world as what you hold in your fist. If you never open your fist your world remains small. So open your fist, be curious, let your world grow, and enjoy the learning. 

Curiosity is not just about asking questions: it is gathering and sifting through knowledge either from other people, observations, or through your own exploration and research. Sometimes, it brings answers. Other times, it’s a stepping stone to the next topic.

I was intrigued to learn that curiosity can take so many different forms, from superficial discovery through to deeply focused searches for information. Sometimes working with people, other times working alone. 

Our forebears' curiosity preceded technology, they had no internet and, though we might see them as ever-present, books are only a relatively recent option. To learn and grow, a more hands on approach was required. They had to observe and talk with those within their circles or venture beyond their homeland to learn about unchartered territory. 

In the beginning

I wonder where curiosity started? About 2.5 million years ago, early humans created tools for hunting and fire for warmth. Was it their curiosity that enabled them to survive?

Imagine finding yourself in 364 BC with Aristotle, where they would have condoned you wondering about things but if they learnt you were being curious you would have been criticised. They believed curiosity was being nosey and prying into other people's lives. Philip Ball, in his book Curiosity: How Science Became Interested in Everything, outlined this clearly:

“[...] wonder was esteemed while curiosity was reviled.”

Being a member of the Christian Church would not have been great for your personal growth either as curiosity was also frowned upon. After all, if you were learning new and exciting things, when would you have time for your worship? They didn’t want you to learn and grow; they preferred you to remain loyal to the Church.

But if you were around for the Renaissance, times were changing. If curiosity was your thing you would fit right in. This was a major growth period where it was condoned and encouraged to be curious. 

One of the biggest catalysts for learning was Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press, created around 1440. Gutenberg, a German blacksmith and inventor, made books, containing precious previously-gained knowledge, available to many through his invention. You didn’t need to experiment and explore for yourself, a world of knowledge was at your fingertips: growth and learning escalated during this time.

A curious explorer

I’m fascinated by how curiosity can shape one person’s life. Case in point, before the dawn of the internet, Irish polar explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton was inspired by his own curiosities and set out to explore Antarctica. You would have to be very curious to take on Antarctica in the early 20th century in rickety wooden sailing ships. Particularly to do it not once but four times. 

In 1914 Shackleton began the “Endurance” expedition, during which he intended to cross Antarctica from the Weddell Sea to the Ross Sea. 

Shackleton’s crew must have been curious too as they responded to this, now famous - potentially mythical, ad:

“Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, [...] safe return doubtful [...]” 

Shackleton hired men based not only on their skills, but also on their abilities to keep each other's spirits up during the long, cold, polar winters. His selection criteria included things like could the applicant sing or did they look funny: oddities which would become useful as the expedition went awry and the crew were required to survive in sub-zero conditions.

In December 1914, 27 men and one stowaway set out to Antarctica on the Endurance. As they reached the edge of the Weddell Sea, their ship began to experience issues with pack ice. By February 15th 1915, in spite of the crew’s best efforts, Shackleton called a halt to attempts to free the ship from the ice, committing themselves to drift with the ice in the freezing currents and winds.  

Entertaining themselves with moonlight walks, occasional dog races, and their own amateur theatre, the crew remained onboard until October, when pressure from the ice finally forced Shackleton to give the command to abandon ship. Moving their equipment off the Endurance and onto the ice, they set up what became known as “Ocean Camp”.  

Over a week in November, the Endurance finally succumbed to the ice, sinking into the ocean on November 21st. New Zealander, Frank Worsley, noted

“Undoubtedly, she is the finest little wooden vessel ever built.”

The crew set up yet another camp, “Patience Camp”, waiting three months until the ice had melted so they could attempt to sail their three lifeboats to Elephant Island. After all 28 members of the crew had reached the island, Shackleton decided he would take a small rescue team of eight men 750kms to South Georgia Island to get help. 

Shackleton’s rescue mission to Georgia Island took 17 days, sailing in wintery and difficult conditions. Finally they beached on the south east end of Georgia. Unfortunately, they had landed a 36-hour walk through deep snow from the South Georgia whaling station, where help and another ship could be found to rescue the remaining crew back on Elephant Island.

Finally, after three rescue attempts, Shackleton was able to return to Elephant Island. Miraculously, all 28 of his crew survived.

It could be said that curiosity kept him alive: observations of his surroundings and his willingness to learn from failure, as he learnt how to cope with the challenges in Antarctica, helped him save his crew.

The changing favour of curiosity

From Shackleton, we leap 110 years to the present day. Curiosity has been around, but not always encouraged, by organisations through the 20th century. Now, we are starting to see more organisations encouraging their people to be curious as an essential part of growth, learning, collaboration, problem solving, and innovation. 

At Redvespa we were curious about how innovation played out in New Zealand businesses. Our Imagination in Business survey looked into how organisations rated curiosity, imagination, creativity, and innovation. The ultimate questions: were organisations interested in an innovation pathway, and did they invest in it? 

Pre-Covid, the 2019 survey results showed that people saw curiosity, imagination, and creativity as nice to haves. It appeared innovation came about almost magically, without investment in those elements which helped foster it.

By 2022 those opinions had changed. One in four organisations were observed as rewarding curiosity and there was a surge in recruiting for it. 

Ultimately, these surveys told us that people want to be curious, they want to be acknowledged, and they want the barriers to curiosity to be removed. 

Findings like this are why we invested in our Imagination in Business research, and overcoming these things is why we’re so passionate about curiosity. Our Curiosity Lab has been set up with this in mind, as we attempt to help overcome the barriers to curiosity and help foster the next generation of curious Kiwis. Join the movement here.

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