I don’t really agree with Albert Knox’s comment of how the process of growing up makes us lose the ability to wonder about the world. I believe it is more about how have examined and answered our questions in the past; examples include “Where did we come from?” As we grow older, we learn more new theories about how the world works and we begin to develop an understanding of the concept itself.
However, I believe that Knox’s idea about how fascinated the toddler was to seeing a dog for the first time was too over-rated. I really doubt that the toddler would have the ability to wonder about how the dog’s composition was different to their own. It is more about the toddler being excited and bemused at how the dog behaves of barking and sniffing to show its affections. As the toddler grows older and experiences more about his life, his knowledge of the world has also enhanced that the need to wonder is drastically reduced compared to when it was a toddler.
When I saw a dog for the first time as a toddler, I remember being vividly amused at how the dog kept on sniffing my legs while I just stood there hoping for any sort of information from my parents about what this strange looking creature might be. It was later at home, that my parents pointed out to me that the dog we saw was a real life image of the picture of the cartoon dog in my English vocabulary book at home. Days afterwards, I learnt to associate the orange furry rug of my next door neighbour to actually be a sleeping cat. Thus, my knowledge was enhanced just by meeting a dog. As we grow up, we learn to associate that a dog is just a dog just like the adult, 'We are not enthralled. We have seen a dog before.'
Curiosity about the world is the one and only motivation to make expand the knowledge that we already know. Some people may not want to go over the border and learn more than they have to so the idea of how they lose ability to wonder about the world is incorrect. Even if others have the curiosity to wonder, they may not have the time to find the truth or give up on finding the truth when they have failed or struggled to grasp the information they want to know.
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2 comments:
I agree that everyone has the ability to wonder, but may not have the time to put their wonderment into practice, or to plunge into this area for ansewrs. How about this: Philosophers are curious daydreamers. Too jobless, looking for something to do, something to stir up being "troublemakers". Or would you prefer it to eb ther other way around? everyone would reahter "snuggle down comfortably", too idle to bother to wonder?
It is a pleasure reading your thoughtful comments about our ability to wonder, Vicki. I agree that curiosity can motivate someone towards wonderment but I wonder if the mental processes of being curious and wondering are both one and the same thing because unanswered questions and undiscovered truths will likely to spurn our senses and time devotion onto curiosity and wonderment. Do you think there is an academic distinction between the two per se?
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