Astrophysicist and author Mario Livio investigates perhaps the most human of all our characteristics—curiosity—in this “lively, expert, and definitely not dumbed-down account” (Kirkus Reviews) as he explores our innate desire to know why.
Experiments demonstrate that people are more distracted when they overhear a phone conversation—where they can know only one side of the dialogue—than when they overhear two people talking and know both sides. Why does half a conversation make us more curious than a whole conversation?
“Have you ever wondered why we wonder why? Mario Livio has, and he takes you on a fascinating quest to understand the origin and mechanisms of our curiosity. I thoroughly recommend it.” (Adam Riess, Nobel Prize Winner in Physics, 2011). Curiosity is not only at the heart of mystery and suspense novels, it is also essential to other creative endeavors, from painting to sculpture to music. It is the principal driver of basic scientific research. Even so, there is still no definitive scientific consensus about why we humans are so curious, or about the mechanisms in our brain that are responsible for curiosity.
In the ever-fascinating Why? Livio interviewed scientists in several fields to explore the nature of curiosity. He examined the lives of two of history’s most curious geniuses, Leonardo da Vinci and Richard Feynman. He also talked to people with boundless curiosity: a superstar rock guitarist who is also an astrophysicist; an astronaut with degrees in computer science, biology, literature, and medicine. What drives these people to be curious about so many subjects?
An astrophysicist who has written about mathematics, biology, and now psychology and neuroscience, Livio has firsthand knowledge of his subject which he explores in a lucid, entertaining way that will captivate anyone who is curious about curiosity.
- 272 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
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Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Preface
- Chapter One: Curious
- Chapter Two: Curiouser
- Chapter Three: And Curiouser
- Chapter Four: Curious about Curiosity: Information Gap
- Chapter Five: Curious about Curiosity: Intrinsic Love of Knowledge
- Chapter Six: Curious about Curiosity: Neuroscience
- Chapter Seven: A Brief Account of the Rise of Human Curiosity
- Chapter Eight: Curious Minds
- Chapter Nine: Why Curiosity?
- Epilogue
- About the Author
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
- Credits
- Copyright
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Yes, you can access Why? by Mario Livio in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Biological Sciences & Educational Psychology. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.