The Strange
Logic Of Progress

From Dogma to Doubt.
From Dictatorship to Democracy.
From Control to Curiosity.

The Enlightenment replaced certainty with systems that can learn.It worked for science.
It worked for democracy.
Can it work for us?This book explores the dramatic implications of learning technology —
and shows how our future depends on a single idea:
What happens after we make a mistake.In a time of complexity and rapid change,
Learning Creatures offers a path to clearer thinking and more resilient systems —
for individuals, cultures, and minds.

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Learning Creatures: The Strange Logic of Progress

At first it feels upside-down: progress comes not from getting things right, but from making error safe. This essay is a brief map of that reversal.

At the core of this book is a simple idea:progress doesn’t depend on being right — it depends on finding mistakes and fixing them.Yet it rarely feels that way.From early on, we usually learn that mistakes are bad. Being wrong feels like evidence that we are careless, foolish, or flawed. So we avoid error and reach for what feels correct:
• the correct answers
• the correct ideas
• the correct behaviour
• the correct feelingsThis instinct is so constant we barely see it — like fish in water.But what if it is wrong? What if this assumption, so natural and protective, is the very thing that holds us back?

Control vs Curiosity In Knowledge and Politics

The desire for control comes from a simple assumption: if things don’t go right, disaster will occur.It feels obvious. Natural. But history shows it is also the source of our dysfunction.• Knowledge: Searching for the “right ideas” eventually hardens into dogma — ideas that must not be questioned.• Leadership: Searching for the “best leader” leads to dictatorship — power concentrated in one fragile figure.In both cases, fear drives control. The more things matter, the greater our need for certainty. But it is a brittle strength.True resilience comes from another source.

The Logic of Curiosity

The Enlightenment was built on a different logic. Instead of clinging to the right idea or the right leader, what if we focus on the process of deciding?The Enlightenment replaced certainty with systems that could change.
• From dogma to doubt.
• From dictatorship to democracy.
• From control to curiosity.This reversal made progress possible. And it raises an important question: could the same shift work for our inner world?

Control vs Curiosity in Ourselves

Inside us, the same assumption shows up: if I get things right, I’ll be happy. If I get them wrong, I’ll be miserable.So we try to control ourselves.Perfectionism kicks in. We suppress feelings that seem “wrong.” We crave approval. Pain gets redefined as failure. Repeated pain feels like repeated failure. Soon the story tightens its grip: if I keep failing, I must be broken.But emotional pain is not proof of failure. It is information. Suppress it and the signal distorts. Turn toward it and you can learn.Just as criticism fuels science, and dissent strengthens democracy, engaging with our emotions allows us to grow.Could there be a deep parallel between dogma, dictatorship, and depression? Could making error safe open the door to an inner Enlightenment of sorts?

The Reversal Everywhere

Once you notice the reversal — from avoiding error to seeking it — you begin to see it everywhere.Jung described the mask and the shadow.
Taleb wrote of fragility and antifragility.
Popper showed that science grows by exposing wrongness.
Buddhism treats suffering as information rather than failure.
Darwin revealed that life advances through trial and error.
Democracy depends on dissent.
Parenting requires safe stumbles.All point to the same principle: progress comes not from control, but from curiosity — not from avoiding error, but from seeking it.

Closing

From control to curiosity. From avoiding error to seeking it. Everywhere.The pattern is simple to see, but hard to live. It asks us to face mistakes without flinching and to loosen control where fear demands it. This book explores what changes — in science, politics, and our own lives — when we begin to practise that shift.

Copyright © 2025 Owen Cool
This essay is freely shared in the hope that it spreads. You are welcome to distribute, link, or quote it for non-commercial purposes — with attribution.
Please don’t sell it, alter it, or pass it off as your own.

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