"Hmm, That's Odd"

In the age of human-driven efficiency, curiosity was seen as an unproductive vice. That age may be ending. Today, AI can answer, but it cannot wonder. This talk argues that staying human now requires granting curiosity its rightful place as a great engine of human endeavour and an essential survival skill. Along the way: a brief history of curiosity, the case for ‘useless’ knowledge and better questions, and a licence to live a more curious life.

J. Ramanand is a co-founder at Choose To Thinq. He studied computer science at COEP and IIT Bombay, and has worked as an applied researcher in natural language processing. He is a quizzer and quizmaker, was the youngest winner of BBC’s Mastermind India, and appeared on KBC as an expert. He sends out a daily quiz at Infinite Zounds, a newsletter devoted to finding interestingness in the world.