内容简介
AstrophysicistandauthorMarioLivioinvestigatesperhapsthemosthumanofallourcharacteristics—curiosity—inthis“lively,expert,anddefinitelynotdumbed-downaccount”(KirkusReviews)asheexploresourinnatedesiretoknowwhy.
Experimentsdemonstratethatpeoplearemoredistractedwhentheyoverhearaphoneconversation—wheretheycanknowonlyonesideofthedialogue—thanwhentheyoverheartwopeopletalkingandknowbothsides.Whydoeshalfaconversationmakeusmorecuriousthanawholeconversation?
“Haveyoueverwonderedwhywewonderwhy?MarioLiviohas,andhetakesyouonafascinatingquesttounderstandtheoriginandmechanismsofourcuriosity.Ithoroughlyrecommendit.”(AdamRiess,NobelPrizeWinnerinPhysics,2011).Curiosityisnotonlyattheheartofmysteryandsuspensenovels,itisalsoessentialtoothercreativeendeavors,frompaintingtosculpturetomusic.Itistheprincipaldriverofbasicscientificresearch.Evenso,thereisstillnodefinitivescientificconsensusaboutwhywehumansaresocurious,oraboutthemechanismsinourbrainthatareresponsibleforcuriosity.
Intheever-fascinatingWhy?Liviointerviewedscientistsinseveralfieldstoexplorethenatureofcuriosity.Heexaminedthelivesoftwoofhistory’smostcuriousgeniuses,LeonardodaVinciandRichardFeynman.Healsotalkedtopeoplewithboundlesscuriosity:asuperstarrockguitaristwhoisalsoanastrophysicist;anastronautwithdegreesincomputerscience,biology,literature,andmedicine.Whatdrivesthesepeopletobecuriousaboutsomanysubjects?
Anastrophysicistwhohaswrittenaboutmathematics,biology,andnowpsychologyandneuroscience,Liviohasfirsthandknowledgeofhissubjectwhichheexploresinalucid,entertainingwaythatwillcaptivateanyonewhoiscuriousaboutcuriosity.