Why?: What Makes Us Curious
- 作者
- 出版社 Simon & Schuster
- 出版时间 2018年5月
- ISBN 1476792100 或 9781476792101
- 定价 77.30
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.
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.
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