Angel Susantin (Week 4) - How Curious!
I’ve heard the phrase, “curiosity killed the cat,” several times throughout my life, which essentially is a proverb that implies that curiosity and inquisitiveness can often lead to danger and misfortunes. While this may be true, to me, curiosity is a strength. It leads people to ask questions, try new things, and be open to gaining more knowledge despite the risks. As people also say: “you miss all the shots you don’t take.” Curiosity is practically the modern-day scientist’s anthem. It’s a great motivation to define things that were previously undefined or to rewrite history. A sense of fulfillment is achieved when feelings of curiosity are satisfied and it can be classified as a form of courage. Progress is the legacy of curiosity and it has enabled us to uncover the secrets the universe has to offer.
What has curiosity granted us thus far? Well, there a lot of things that have been as a result of being curious, but the only example I can think of right now is Galileo Galilei and his theory of heliocentrism, which revolutionized the way we think about our galaxy.
Galileo Galilei was an Italian philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer, who lived during a time where challenging the word of gospel was considered blasphemous. In this era, the idea of the Earth being the center of the universe (geocentric) was popularized by Aristotle and Ptolemy, and was the most widely accepted theory about cosmology until the 16th century. Drawing from the theory of Nicolaus Copernicus, Galileo was a skeptic and challenged the idea of the universe being geocentric in court in front of the pope (the Inquisition of 1633), where he was charged with heresy and was subject to house arrest. However, as we know it today, the sun has proven to be the center of our galaxy, with all of the other planets revolving around it. In addition to the fact that the Earth rotates on an axis, which has allowed astro-scientists to calculate trajectories, among other things. Now, we're exploring the moon, Mars, and finding new ways to study extra-terrestrial surfaces not simply by telescope. The ability to look at things from a different perspective allowed scientists to advance space sciences to a whole 'nother level.
So, when was a time where you felt curious? How did you act upon it? Did it lead to misfortunes like the first proverb suggested or did it turn out to be a successful endeavor?
Heliocentrism pic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_revolutionibus_orbium_coelestium
Comments
I thought your article was very insightful. I definitely think curiosity is a good skill to have. Even though “curiosity may have killed the cat,” I always remember that “satisfaction brought it back.” Curiosity has helped me in learning and understanding more concepts in school because it helps me be more focused on the material. Without curiosity, humanity would never have been able to reach the progress that it has reached now because it is humans’ ability to keep asking for questions and pushing for answers that allows humans to advance in their knowledge and technology.
My take on "curiosity killed the cat" is that it was carelessly acting on the curiosity that killed the cat. The most vivid memory of this phrase that I have is in this one children's scary story. I remember this one scene where the main character was walking past a cemetery and she heard a sound and wanted to check it out even though she was alone. It was her carelessness not curiosity that made her go check out the place and get cursed. Curiosity is crucial in evolution; it is what allowed society to progress. I agree with you on how curiosity actually revealed many truths about the world.
Some people would describe me as overly curious. I tend to ask way too many questions to other peoples’ liking. Curiosity is not always a bad thing though. Curiosity can lead you to discover something new and interesting in life, and can even lead you to change the world. I believe that we are naturally born to be curious. As babies, we explore and search our environment because we are curious about it. When I think of curiosity, I naturally think of Pandora. In this myth, Pandora was tricked into releasing a bunch of demons into the world as a result of her curiosity. This myth obviously paints curiosity as a bad trait, but a detail of this myth that people usually leave out or miss is that Pandora was actually sculpted by the gods to be curious to trick her into opening the box. How curious are you, Angel?
The phrase “curiosity killed the cat” is one of my favorite phrases to use against my parents whenever they asked me questions about my school or personal life. I definitely agree with you that curiosity is actually very useful and helps us understand more aspects in life. I regret the times when I suppressed my curiosity so I wouldn’t be embarrassed or ashamed if I had questions in class. I was held back by the judgment of my peers and I wish I could go back in time and ask the questions that would help me improve in subjects such as English or Math. I should totally add “be more curious” to my New Year Resolutions (I am well aware it’s March but still…).
Sincerely,
Faith Tong
The phrase "curiosity killed the cat" is mostly associated with the view that many people have of cats appearing dumber than dogs. It also suggest foolishness and curiously that just killed it. But really I would like to admit some risks are worth taking otherwise like you stated we wouldn't have been able to discover the many galaxies around us. Most of the times curiosity have a high chance of leading to failures but it is all about luck and determination.
I can very much relate to this blog as I am a curious person, so curious that my parents call me curious George 2.0 (yes the disasters are included with the package). Some of my friendships actually started with me being curious about something in their life. I really liked how to mentioned that curiosity is practically the modern-day scientists' anthem because it really does make sense after trying to understand it.
The phrase “curiosity killed the cat” always came up in elementary school and honestly, I feel like people can always interpret that phrase differently. To me, I think about how curious thoughts can lead to a downfall in something, or just you end up being disappointed after learning of the answer to your curiosity. Regardless, being curious is a good thing in most times, as you are learning more and answering your own questions.
I enjoyed reading your blog. I can relate to it because I am a curious person, and curiosity has brought me many great things. I have found many exciting hobbies that I love; my perspective changed by letting my interest take over. However, letting my curiosity take over means I have to be very cautious; if not, well, in this case, curiosity may indeed kill the cat, well, in this case, I may get hurt or receive unwanted consequences.