Part II: Identity Thesis

Curiosity

Introduction
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Curiosity

Curiosity shares desire’s forward orientation but replaces the specific goal with open-ended exploration. It is essentially two-dimensional:

  • Val>0\valence > 0 specifically toward uncertainty-reduction (anticipated information gain)
  • CF\mathcal{CF} high with high entropy over counterfactual outcomes (many branches, not converged on one)
  • Uncertainty is welcomed, not aversive

Self-model salience is typically low (absorbed in the object of curiosity).

Curiosity and fear share high counterfactual weight—both live in the space of possibilities. The difference is valence orientation: fear’s branches lead to threat, curiosity’s branches lead to expanded affordances. Same temporal structure, opposite gradient direction. This pairing reveals curiosity as intrinsic motivation: positive valence attached to uncertainty-reduction. Formally:

rcuriosity∝I(ot+1;z∣new data)−I(ot+1;z∣old data)r_{\text{curiosity}} \propto \MI(\obs_{t+1}; \latent | \text{new data}) - \MI(\obs_{t+1}; \latent | \text{old data})

Curiosity feels pulling. Reducing uncertainty is rewarding.