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2/07/2003 02:11:00 PM | Jared Alessandroni The Need to Explore I think that curiosity and the need to explore are two sort of different things. Yes, if you're curious you explore things, even places, etc. But, exploration in the manifest destiny way is a different thing - it's a mentality. The toddler Shafer's talking about is just as fascinated by a bit of tape on her finger as she would be on Mars. Of course, it's a bit inane to compare that interest in the world with the apathy of which Timbo speaks. In fact, any developmental psychologist could tell you that our childhood curiosity is an in-born developmental feature [as is much of our aptitude and thus interest in math and science, which for some is easier than other subjects, in case they don't teach that in CS], and really, whether or not we're curious in the future is much more determined by how much that curiosity was nurtured in the past, and to which end. That is, if our passion for abstract number theory is nurtured, neither apathy nor comfort will stop us. This may seem abstract, but it brings home both of your points - we were passionate about space when we were told to be, and not when no one bothered. Competition will, as Shafer points out, drive that curiosity if we bother [though as far as I know, much of these future plans are more tentative than they seem in Shafer's post] to let it. And, a lot of people who are lucky enough to go SCUBA diving don't really get all that wet over the sealife, a lot of people go to the Grand Canyon and say "eh". It's not in-born that we want to spend so much time and resources in the sky when it's basic logic that a major project on earth to some scientific end would also benefit mankind, develop technology, and sate some people's curiosity. I for one don't care so much about space right now, not with all the other things that could be looked into, but, whatever. Of course, it's stupid to pretend that I should. perma link |
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