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Do you remember the moment in your childhood when you gazed up at the stars for the first time? What sparked your curiosity about the universe? Have you ever felt confused about why people cannot fly? Why do different creatures exist? Why am I able to think? Have you ever felt astonished by “being alive” or that “the world exists at all”?
Many people wonder about the point of our curiosity? What can philosophy do? It cannot provide you with lots of money or food. Philosophers are just a group of “lazy bones” individuals. They think about meaningless things endlessly and waste social resources.
However, the author Jostein Gaarder believes that everyone is born with a natural curiosity about the world. But as people grow older, and lead a progressively easy life, they become unwilling to learn about the world. Philosophers are those who embark on this dangerous journey once again. Some of them fall off, but many persist. They yell at the people who live easy lives for being too concerned with material matters, “Ladies and gentlemen, we are floating in space!” But no one cares. They may even refer to them ironically as, “a bunch of troublemakers!” And continue on with their conversations, “Would you pass the butter, please? How much have our stocks risen today? What is the price of tomatoes? Have you heard that Princess Di is expecting again?”
Right, we have no idea – we often only care about things that do not matter at all and turn a blind eye to crucial events. So, as the book says, “Now you must choose.” You can choose to become an indifferent person who has no feelings just like everyone else. Or you can choose to embrace a mindset full of curiosity and a thirst for knowledge. If the latter is your choice, Sophie’s World will surprise and enlighten you.
