Curiosity Studies

Curiosity Studies
Author: Perry Zurn
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2020-04-14
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1452963622

The first English-language collection to establish curiosity studies as a unique field From science and technology to business and education, curiosity is often taken for granted as an unquestioned good. And yet, few people can define curiosity. Curiosity Studies marshals scholars from more than a dozen fields not only to define curiosity but also to grapple with its ethics as well as its role in technological advancement and global citizenship. While intriguing research on curiosity has occurred in numerous disciplines for decades, no rigorously cross-disciplinary study has existed—until now. Curiosity Studies stages an interdisciplinary conversation about what curiosity is and what resources it holds for human and ecological flourishing. These engaging essays are integrated into four clusters: scientific inquiry, educational practice, social relations, and transformative power. By exploring curiosity through the practice of scientific inquiry, the contours of human learning, the stakes of social difference, and the potential of radical imagination, these clusters focus and reinvigorate the study of this universal but slippery phenomenon: the desire to know. Against the assumption that curiosity is neutral, this volume insists that curiosity has a history and a political import and requires precision to define and operationalize. As various fields deepen its analysis, a new ecosystem for knowledge production can flourish, driven by real-world problems and a commitment to solve them in collaboration. By paying particular attention to pedagogy throughout, Curiosity Studies equips us to live critically and creatively in what might be called our new Age of Curiosity. Contributors: Danielle S. Bassett, U of Pennsylvania; Barbara M. Benedict, Trinity College; Susan Engel, Williams College; Ellen K. Feder, American U; Kristina T. Johnson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Narendra Keval; Christina León, Princeton U; Tyson Lewis, U of North Texas; Amy Marvin, U of Oregon; Hilary M. Schor, U of Southern California; Seeta Sistla, Hampshire College; Heather Anne Swanson, Aarhus U.

The Philosophy of Curiosity

The Philosophy of Curiosity
Author: Ilhan Inan
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 245
Release: 2013-03-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1136471391

In this book, Ilhan Inan questions the classical definition of curiosity as a desire to know. Working in an area where epistemology and philosophy of language overlap, Inan forges a link between our ability to become aware of our ignorance and our linguistic aptitude to construct terms referring to things unknown. The book introduces the notion of inostensible reference (or reference to the unknown). Ilhan connects this notion to related concepts in philosophy of language: knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by description; the referential and the attributive uses of definite descriptions; the de re/de dicto distinction; and Kripke’s distinction between rigid and accidental designators. Continuing with a discussion of the conditions for curiosity and its satisfaction, Inan argues that the learning process—starting in curiosity and ending in knowledge—is always an effort to transform our inostensible terms into ostensible ones. A contextual account is adopted for the satisfaction of curiosity. It then discusses the conditions of successful reference to the object of curiosity and its presuppositions. The book concludes with a discussion on the limits of curiosity and its satisfaction.

The New Science of Curiosity

The New Science of Curiosity
Author: Goren Gordon
Publisher: Nova Science Publishers
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2018
Genre: Curiosity
ISBN: 9781536138009

Curiosity is the foundation of childhood development and continues on into adulthood; it is the cornerstone of scientific discovery, art and play. In the past, the study of curiosity has been mainly restricted to the field of psychology. Recently, a new science of curiosity has emerged that is multidisciplinary, applicative, and transformative. In this book, some of the leading researchers of this emerging field give a comprehensive background description, explain in detail the state-of-the-art advances, and raise future-looking insights into curiosity. The book includes accounts of new neuroscientific research of curiosity, computational models of infant-like robots, thought-provoking insights into knowledge and wisdom, and curious social robots that play with curious children. Furthermore, applications of The New Science of Curiosity in art and game-design highlight the importance of these new approaches to fields outside science. The New Science of Curiosity also has a great impact on our day-to-day lives, described in the book regarding the medical profession and the educational system. The New Science of Curiosity holds great promise for a better, deeper, and more comprehensive understanding of this elusive, yet crucial, aspect of human cognition. Only a multi-disciplinary diverse approach, as presented in this book, holds the key to unlocking the mysteries of exploration, seeking and investigative experiences of our grandiose dreams and daily lives.

Curiosity

Curiosity
Author: Philip Ball
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 474
Release: 2013-04-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 022604579X

Originally published by Bodley Head, 2012.

Cracking the Curiosity Code

Cracking the Curiosity Code
Author: Diane Hamilton
Publisher: Dr. Diane Hamilton LLC
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2019-01-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1642373451

Everyone is born curious. So, what happens? Why do some people become less curious than others? For individuals, leaders, and companies to be successful, they must determine the things that hold curiosity hostage. Think of the most innovative companies and you will notice they employ people who do not accept the status quo, they aren’t reluctant to change, they evolve with the times, they look for problems to solve, and focus on asking questions. Drawing on decades research and incorporating interviews from some of the top leaders of our time, Hamilton examines the factors that impact curiosity including fear, assumptions, technology, and environment (FATE). Through her ground-breaking research, she has created the Curiosity Code Index (CCI) assessment to determine how these factors have impacted curiosity and to provide an action plan to transform individuals and organizations to help improve areas impacted by curiosity, including innovation, engagement, creativity, and productivity. “I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious” – Albert Einstein

A History of Curiosity

A History of Curiosity
Author: Justin Stagl
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 358
Release: 2012-11-12
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1136645365

First Published in 2002. A History of Curiosity examines the early methodology of anthropological and social research from a critical­historical perspective. The three principal methods of research, travel, the survey and the collection of significant objects, are studied in the context of the social conditions and intellectual trends of early modern times. The author's grasp of the vast, often obscure, but highly interesting body of literature which emerged in the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries commands the attention of a wide readership outside purely academic boundaries. He weaves together a series of separate studies, emphasising links between the figures, the philosophies and the literatures of early modern times; links which have previously only been suspected. In focussing on the ars apodemica, or art of travelling'', a body of formal instructions on how to travel, observe and record the information gathered, the author demonstrates the origins of the characteristic inquisitive and systematizing spirit of the modern West.

The Cambridge Handbook of Motivation and Learning

The Cambridge Handbook of Motivation and Learning
Author: K. Ann Renninger
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 1172
Release: 2019-02-14
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1316832473

Written by leading researchers in educational and social psychology, learning science, and neuroscience, this edited volume is suitable for a wide-academic readership. It gives definitions of key terms related to motivation and learning alongside developed explanations of significant findings in the field. It also presents cohesive descriptions concerning how motivation relates to learning, and produces a novel and insightful combination of issues and findings from studies of motivation and/or learning across the authors' collective range of scientific fields. The authors provide a variety of perspectives on motivational constructs and their measurement, which can be used by multiple and distinct scientific communities, both basic and applied.

Today's Curiosity is Tomorrow's Cure

Today's Curiosity is Tomorrow's Cure
Author: Steve Caplan
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 155
Release: 2021-11-09
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 1000471004

Basic curiosity-driven biomedical science has delivered many of today’s most significant medical advances. This book provides clearly explained examples from recent biomedical history and includes convincing arguments for sustaining a robust portfolio of basic research. Intended as an engaging read, which will delight undergraduate and graduate students, as well as scientific researchers, it is full-throated advocacy of basic science. Illustrations and examples include the discoveries of penicillin and insulin, and the breakthrough elucidation of the genetic code. Providing both compelling rationale in support of basic science, and a fascinating look through the history of modern biomedical research, this book highlights with stirring examples why basic biomedical research is so important, and how so many key advances in medicine are derived from basic research. The book also offers a rationale for scientific inquiry and a broader understanding of the history of modern biomedical research missing from today’s classrooms. Key Features 1) Provides clear explanations of great scientific discoveries 2) Illustrates connections between basic research findings and modern medicine 3) Includes compelling graphics/diagrams/illustrations 4) Accessible to the general public 5) Offers background for more specialized readers, including researchers as well as those with advanced degrees. Related Titles Staddon, J. Scientific Method: How Science Works, Fails to Work, and Pretends to Work (ISBN 978-1-1382-9536-0) Helliwell, J. R. Skills for Scientific Life (ISBN 978-1-4987-6875-7) MacRitchie, F. Scientific Research as a Career (ISBN 978-1-4398-6965-9)

Curiosity and Power

Curiosity and Power
Author: Perry Zurn
Publisher: U of Minnesota Press
Total Pages: 345
Release: 2021-03-30
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1452960828

A trailblazing exploration of the political stakes of curiosity Curiosity is political. Who is curious, when, and how reflects the social values and power structures of a given society. In Curiosity and Power, Perry Zurn explores the political philosophy of curiosity, staking the groundbreaking claim that it is a social force—the heartbeat of political resistance and a critical factor in social justice. He argues that the very scaffolding of curiosity is the product of political architectures, and exploring these values and architectures is crucial if we are to better understand, and more ethically navigate, the struggle over inquiry in an unequal world. Curiosity and Power explores curiosity through the lens of political philosophy—weaving in Nietzsche, Foucault, and Derrida in doing so—and the experience of political marginalization, demonstrating that curiosity is implicated equally in the maintenance of societies and in their transformation. Curiosity plays as central a role in establishing social institutions and fields of inquiry as it does in their deconstruction and in building new forms of political community. Understanding curiosity is critical to understanding politics, and understanding politics is critical to understanding curiosity. Drawing not only on philosophy and political theory but also on feminist theory, race theory, disability studies, and trans studies, Curiosity and Power tracks curiosity in the structures of political marginalization and resistance—from the Civil Rights Movement to building better social relationships. Curiosity and Power insists that the power of curiosity be recognized and engaged responsibly.