Comments on: BBC Future column: why are we so curious?

By: MaxS

MaxS — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 21:42:21 +0000

In a guess, I would say a skeptic mind about even our own thoughts to the point of doubt of the self and all that it means to observe the world without unbreakable ground to stand upon.

I am saying that everything is up for debate.
Even the senseless basic things as breathing oxygen.

However, I would not want to argue for either way, or any way, if I could avoid it.

Which is why I label it a guess and nothing more,
I also find it incorrectly versed when you write “you guys”. There may be similarities, patterns that glow in neon colours and yet, patterns are basic principles, such as how Zebra patterns are formed but we can still not predict, on a living animal, where the actual stripes will appear.

Whether this is because our knowledge is limited, or the world progresses differently than what a purpose-minded person would expect, I have no clue at all.

This is my honest guess and I cannot vouch for anything that is up to other scrutinizing eyes but my own.

By: sumerc

sumerc — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 06:53:39 +0000

I have always wondered how you guys able to see the things around you have no purpose. A simple flower has many many purposes, an oxygen atom, a blood cell has many purposes but “evolution” has none? Can’t you really see that this world is designed by someone, or you just deny to see that?

By: B

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 17:06:52 +0000

Great article! So fun to touch on the subject of understanding how and possibly “why” our brains work the way they do. Curious creatures leave room for discovery and excitement. Continue the stimulation of curiosity of our environment. You only live once… That you remember..

By: @tomstafford

@tomstafford — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 17:29:08 +0000

Since humans did most of their significant evolution hundreds of thousands of years before writing was invented it is hard to see how reading could play much of a role in what we evolved to do

That said, check out the argument mark changizi makes: http://changizi.wordpress.com/book-harnessed/

By: amelie

amelie — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 17:12:28 +0000

Speaking of useless surfing, a coworker mentioned a hypothesis that humans evolved to read. Could that be even remotely correct? Could the language “instinct” explain this? Digital Nation aside, it might explain why people spend so much time on the internet.

By: Rich

Rich — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 13:56:07 +0000

Totally unclear what your point is.

By: @tomstafford

@tomstafford — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 13:44:08 +0000

Compare and contrast:

“Shouldn’t gravity have made all the water flow into the oceans?”

Gravity has no purpose

By: Rich

Rich — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 12:51:26 +0000

“Shouldn’t evolution have selected for a species which was – you know – a bit more focussed?”

Evolution has no purpose. There are no characteristics evolution “should” select for except for those that support successful breeding and these are almost always discoverable only after the fact.

Otherwise it’s only “Just So” stories.

Nor am I convinced that neoteny endows our species with curiosity. The adults of many species exhibit curiosity. My kids kept rats and they certainly did.

By: rex

rex — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 22:32:39 +0000

Thanks so much for this intelligent read. Curiosity is one of my main drivers for accomplishimg things, not as a distraction (although it definitely does that too) but i try to stay curious about what it will feel like to accomplish my goal. I have to stay curious enough to keep working at it.

I wonder what it will be like when my life is different?
I’m so curious that I’m going to make it happen to find out.

By: amelie

amelie — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 19:04:17 +0000

Superb piece.

Does this mean that Siri will eventually become the most annoying personal assistant ever?