Dr. James Austin, a neurologist and philosopher (!), wrote an outstanding book called Chase, Chance, and Creativity—originally in 1978, then updated in 2003.

Chance... something fortuitous that happens unpredictably without discernable human intention.

Chance is unintentional, it is capricious, but we needn’t conclude that chance is immune from human interventions. However, one must be careful not to read any unconsciously purposeful intent into “interventions”... [which] are to be viewed as accidental, unwilled, inadvertent, and unforseeable.

In Chance I, the good luck that occurs is completely accidental. It is pure blind luck that comes with no effort on our part.

In Chance II, something else has been added—motion.

A certain [basic] level of action “stirs up the pot”, brings in random ideas that will collide and stick together in fresh combinations, lets chance operate.

Unluck runs out if you keep stirring up things so that random elements can combine, by virtue of you and their inherent affinities.

[Chance II] involves the kind of luck [Charles] Kettering... had in mind when he said, “Keep on going and chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down.”

Chance presents only a faint clue, the potential opportunity exists, but it will be overlooked except by that one person uniquely equipped to observe it, visualize it conceptually, and fully grasp its significance.

Chance III involves involves a special receptivity, discernment, and intuitive grasp of significance unique to one particular recipient.

[Chance IV] favors the individualized action.

Chance IV is the kind of luck that develops during a probing action which has a distinctive personal flavor.

Chance IV comes to you, unsought, because of who you are and how you behave.

Chance IV is so personal, it is not easily understood by someone else the first time around

[In neurological terms], Chance III [is] concerned with personal sensory receptivity; its counterpart, Chance IV, [is] involved with personal motor behavior.

Chance I is completely impersonal; you can’t influence it.

Chance II favors those who have a persistent curiosity about many things coupled with an energetic willingness to experiment and explore.

Chance III favors those who have a sufficient background of sound knowledge plus special abilities in observing, remembering, recalling, and quickly forming significant new associations.

Chance IV favors those with distinctive, if not eccentric hobbies, personal lifestyles, and motor behaviors.

Curious people are more likely to already have in their heads the building blocks for crafting a solution for any particular problem they come across, versus the more quote-unquote intelligent, but less curious, person who is trying to get by on logic and pure intellectual effort.