As Kaj pointed out, most of the answers so far focus on feedback and reward. As an answer, that feels correct, but incomplete. I know so many people who are clearly very smart, surrounded by friends who give them positive feedback on whatever they’re doing, but it doesn’t end up channeling into intellectual development. If every intellectually-active person were linked to an idea-focused community, then the feedback answer would make sense, but I doubt that’s the case. So what’s missing?
I don’t have a complete answer, but I remember a quote (maybe from Feynman?) about keeping a stock of unsolved problems in your head. Whenever you learn some new trick or method, you try applying it to one of those unsolved problems. At least for me, that’s mostly how my “sprawling intellectual framework” develops. Some of them are open technical problems, others are deficits in my current social or economic models of the world. This feels connected to what Martin talks about—some people notice holes in their understanding and then keep an eye out for solutions. You hear something that doesn’t sound right, doesn’t quite make sense, and you reflexively start digging. Maybe you find an answer quickly, otherwise you carry the problem around in the back of your head.
I don’t know why some people do this and others don’t, but as a causal factor, it feels orthogonal to social feedback. It still feels like I don’t have all the puzzle pieces, though. This question will continue to sit in the back of my head.
Abstracting your idea a little: in order to go beyond first thoughts, you need some kind of strategy for developing ideas further. Without one, you will just have the same thoughts when you try to “think more” about a subject. I’ve edited my answer to elaborate on this idea.
As Kaj pointed out, most of the answers so far focus on feedback and reward. As an answer, that feels correct, but incomplete. I know so many people who are clearly very smart, surrounded by friends who give them positive feedback on whatever they’re doing, but it doesn’t end up channeling into intellectual development. If every intellectually-active person were linked to an idea-focused community, then the feedback answer would make sense, but I doubt that’s the case. So what’s missing?
I don’t have a complete answer, but I remember a quote (maybe from Feynman?) about keeping a stock of unsolved problems in your head. Whenever you learn some new trick or method, you try applying it to one of those unsolved problems. At least for me, that’s mostly how my “sprawling intellectual framework” develops. Some of them are open technical problems, others are deficits in my current social or economic models of the world. This feels connected to what Martin talks about—some people notice holes in their understanding and then keep an eye out for solutions. You hear something that doesn’t sound right, doesn’t quite make sense, and you reflexively start digging. Maybe you find an answer quickly, otherwise you carry the problem around in the back of your head.
I don’t know why some people do this and others don’t, but as a causal factor, it feels orthogonal to social feedback. It still feels like I don’t have all the puzzle pieces, though. This question will continue to sit in the back of my head.
Abstracting your idea a little: in order to go beyond first thoughts, you need some kind of strategy for developing ideas further. Without one, you will just have the same thoughts when you try to “think more” about a subject. I’ve edited my answer to elaborate on this idea.