Curious : the desire to know and why your future depends on it / Ian Leslie.
Material type:
TextPublisher: New York : Basic Books, A Member of the Perseus Books Group, [2014]Description: xxiv, 216 pages ; 25 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 0465079962 (hardback)
- 9780465079964 (hardback)
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Notes | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
|
Main Library | NonFiction | 153.8 L635 | Available | water damage on edge of pages. 1/25/2023 | 33111007623974 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
"I have no special talents," said Albert Einstein. "I am only passionately curious."
Everyone is born curious. But only some retain the habits of exploring, learning, and discovering as they grow older. Those who do so tend to be smarter, more creative, and more successful. So why are many of us allowing our curiosity to wane?
In Curious , Ian Leslie makes a passionate case for the cultivation of our "desire to know." Just when the rewards of curiosity have never been higher, it is misunderstood, undervalued, and increasingly monopolized by a cognitive elite. A "curiosity divide" is opening up.
This divide is being exacerbated by the way we use the Internet. Thanks to smartphones and tools such as Google and Wikipedia, we can answer almost any question instantly. But does this easy access to information guarantee the growth of curiosity? No--quite the opposite. Leslie argues that true curiosity the sustained quest for understanding that begets insight and innovation--is in fact at risk in a wired world.
Drawing on fascinating research from psychology, economics, education, and business, Curious looks at what feeds curiosity and what starves it, and finds surprising answers. Curiosity isn't, as we're encouraged to think, a gift that keeps on giving. It is a mental muscle that atrophies without regular exercise and a habit that parents, schools, and workplaces need to nurture.
Filled with inspiring stories, case studies, and practical advice, Curious will change the way you think about your own mental habits, and those of your family, friends, and colleagues.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 199-206) and index.
Introduction: The fourth drive -- Part 1: How curiosity works. Three journeys ; How curiosity begins ; Puzzles and mysteries -- Part 2: The curiosity divide. Three ages of curiosity ; The curiosity dividend ; The power of questions ; The importance of knowing -- Part 3: Staying curious. Seven ways to stay curious: Stay foolish ; Build the database ; Forage like a foxhog ; Ask the big why ; Be a thinkerer ; Question your teaspoons ; Turn puzzles into mysteries -- Afterword: Bjarni.
"Today it seems we have the world at our fingertips. Thanks to smartphones and tools such as Google and Wikipedia, we're able feed any aspect of our curiosity instantly. But does this mean we are actually becoming more curious? Absolutely not. In Curious, Ian Leslie argues that true curiosity-the sustained quest for understanding that begets insight and innovation-is becoming increasingly difficult to harness in our wired world. We confuse ease of access to information with curiosity, and risk losing our ability to ask questions that extend our knowledge gap rather than merely filling it. Worst of all, this decline in curiosity has led to a decline in empathy and our ability to care about those around us. Combining the latest science with an urgent call to cultivate curious minds, Curious draws on psychology, social history, and popular culture to show that being deeply curious is our only hope when it comes to solving current crises-as well as an essential part of being human. "-- Provided by publisher.