by Mario Livio
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.
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.
Reviews-
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May 1, 2017
Astrophysicist Livio (Brilliant Blunders) makes the claim that the capacity for curiosity is one of the biggest differences between humans and other animals. He describes curiosity as coming in two forms: perceptual and epistemic. The former is “triggered by novelty, surprise, or puzzling stimuli,” he writes, and is related to negative feelings associated with lack of knowledge. Epistemic curiosity generates positive emotions and “embodies our love of knowledge and the drive for its acquisition.” Livio accessibly addresses some of the basic psychological and neurobiological underpinnings of curiosity, but he does so superficially. Similarly, he provides a shallow exploration of “two of the most curious minds to have ever existed”—Leonardo da Vinci and Richard Feynman. He also offers nine all-too-brief and wholly unsatisfying talks with successful individuals, ostensibly to determine if there are any similarities between them that might inform his quest to understand the drive to discover. Livio concludes by offering simplistic advice for educators: “Educators should frequently ask questions, but they should not provide the answers right away. Instead, they should encourage their students to give the answer themselves, and then to think of ways to test the correctness of their answers.” While there are interesting nuggets here, Livio never delves deeply enough to get beyond the surface. Agent: Susan Rabiner, Susan Rabiner Literary. -
May 15, 2017
An astrophysicist asks, "what are the underlying mechanisms of curiosity and exploration?"Whether it was Leonardo da Vinci filling volumes with speculations, the millions of readers addicted to mystery novels, or the army of scammers teasing us to click on their tempting links, curiosity fills our lives. No one understands it, but it's not for want of trying, and bestselling author Livio (Brilliant Blunders: From Darwin to Einstein--Colossal Mistakes by Great Scientists that Changed Our Understanding of Life and the Universe, 2013, etc.) delivers a lively, expert, and definitely not dumbed-down account of why we're curious and what scientists have discovered. Some psychologists advocate the "information-gap theory." Encountering something incompatible with our beliefs generates a "gap" in our knowledge, an unpleasant "uncertainty--a perceived disparity between the existing and the desired informational condition...the chief cause of curiosity." Another school of thought maintains that an incompatible fact produces anxiety, leading to a thirst for knowledge, another word for curiosity and a pleasant sensation. These and other ideas are testable. Psychology experiments indicate that we generally enjoy learning, but only if the process isn't too easy or too hard. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, neuroscientists have discovered that brain regions specializing in learning, reward, and memory are active when subjects are curious. Although exciting, these findings are not, the author admits, terribly revealing. After delivering the latest theories and research by Page 120, Livio then veers off to describe the evolution of the human brain, cultural, political, and literary attitudes to curiosity, and opinions of living geniuses who are happy to explain their motivations. The concept of curiosity is a tough nut to crack. Livio is not shy about admitting its difficulties, and he makes an admirable effort to explain complex and still-not-well-understood ideas.COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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June 15, 2017
In his latest book, astrophysicist Livio (Brilliant Blunders) investigates the human spirit of inquiry. This work is an examination of famously inquisitive people from the past and present, including artists, musicians, mathematicians, and scientists, with a presentation of the newest psychological and neuroscientific research on what makes people curious. Livio discusses whether nature or nurture is responsible for individual levels of curiosity, and what brain structures are involved. In addition, he explains what makes the human brain different from that of any other creature, and why a desire to know the unknown is specific only to humans. The information presented is accessible to all readers and the tone is engaging, sometimes even playful. Livio describes himself as a curious individual and explains how his own passion to learn about the world helped him in the field of astrophysics and exploration. VERDICT Recommended for anyone involved in the arts or sciences as well as readers interested in human cognitive science and behavioral development. [See Prepub Alert, 1/23/17.]--Terry Lamperski, Carnegie Lib. of Pittsburgh, PA
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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February 15, 2017
A best-selling author whose Is God a Mathematician? was the basis for NOVA's Emmy-nominated The Great Math Mystery, astrophysicist Livio gets to the heart of science and indeed all human endeavor by asking why we ask, Why? He considers polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci and Richard Feynman to understand our hunger to know. With a six-city tour.
Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
