It seems as if in the process of growing up we don't have the time to wonder about the world.

If I had to modify Albert Knox's statement, that is what I would come up with. I think his statement is extremely subjective and generalised. It certainly cannot be applied to all individuals. Perhaps Albert Knox is trying to convey that as we grow up, the fundamentals of life seem to dissolve into the background, and we become more aware and concerned about things we experience everyday and which have a bigger impact on our lifestyle. We take the world "for granted". However, I don't believe that all grown ups, or even grown ups in general, lose the ability to wonder about the world.

Firstly, I don't think wondering about the world is an "ability". It doesn't take a genius to ask- "Where does the world come from?" Also, we don't simply "lose" our abilities. Once something is learned (eg. riding a bicycle), the skill stays with us for the rest of our lives. Sure due to lack of rehearsel the skill may weaken, but we never completely "lose" an ability, unless its due to a physical deficiency.

Albert Knox provided us with a very distinctive image of a white rabbit, within whose furs lie those who want to comfortably avoid all the inanswerable questions of life. He urges Sophie to be not become one of those and to hang near the edge of the fur, looking down onto the world, fully aware that this world is an amazing place which should still be explored and thought about. He didn't want Sophie to lose the ability to wonder about the world.

However I don't think we lose the ability to wonder about the world. I think that as we grow older, we simply don't have the time to wonder about the world. Growing older consequentially provides us with independence and responsibilties, thus taking up more time of our everyday lives. We have more apparent problems to deal with such as doing well in our exams, finding a job, providing for a family. These aspects of life take up so much of our time, that we often don't have the time to sit down and have a moment to ourselves, let alone think about how the world is what it is.

Nevertheless, if we do allow our minds to wander, grown ups can also regain (or reuse) their ability to wonder about the world. I have often found myself doing this while sitting bored and inattentive in the Maths classroom. The only thing that stops us from doing this as much as philosophers or children is the fact that as grown ups, we have responsibilities to fulfil and therefore, we are not provided with a sufficient amount of time to wonder about the world.