Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Metacognition?

“We go about our daily lives understanding almost nothing of the world. We give little thought to the machinery that generates the sunlight that makes life possible, to the gravity that glues us to an Earth that would otherwise send us spinning off into space, or to the atoms of which we are made and on whose stability we fundamentally depend. Except for children (who don’t know enough not to ask the important questions), few of us spend much time wondering why nature is the way it is; where the cosmos came from, or whether it is always here; if time will one day flow backward and effects precede causes; or whether there are ultimate limits to what humans can know.”
-Carl Sagan from an introduction to A Brief History of Time By Stephen Hawking

After hearing and/or reading your peer's reactions during class about the listed quotation, what new insight can you add to this quotation analysis? Please respond. (Blog Response Due By Thurs., Jan. 19th at 2:30p.m.)

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think it is so interesting to see a different view on the depth of human knowledge. I personally don’t think there is a limit for human knowledge, but rather limitations. This made me realize how much there is that humans still have yet to discover and the possibility there is to expand our understanding. I think this shows that mankind has lost their wonder and ability to reach new horizons and possibilities.

Anonymous said...

After reading this post, I realized how little people understand about why things are and how they got to be here. Little questions arise on how or why this turned out the way it did. Almost bringing up the conclusion that people have become too lazy to try and discover and question these theories or that people have little care about the subject, for why things are the way they are. As stated in the post, much of the modern world has been influenced, shaped/molded, and even given the possibility of surviving. This can give a new perspective on how people go about their lives and how they look and question the world around them.

Anonymous said...

After reading this phenomenal quote, I had to take a minute to fully process the ideas buried within Sagan’s words. I find that I am personally in agreement with the way that he analyzes the masked way in which we interact with the world around us, completely ignoring the complexity and mysteries of our surroundings. I often find myself wondering about how even though we have so many experiences each day, our lack of observation and importance we place on each moment cause a huge portion of our lives to fade from memory. This same way of thinking, or lack of thinking, is affecting the way that we think about the unknowns in our lives. As Sagan points out, many people have ceased to wonder, and just hurry through their lives focusing on little details rather than big picture ideas. It was through human curiosity that the ancient greeks originally created the complex myths and philosophies that we continue to see in our lives today. Philosophers and townspeople alike satisfied their nagging curiosities with big explanations and stories that helped them make sense of the world around them. In today’s world, we have stopped doing this, thinking we know more than we really do. Today there is a huge portion of the universe and even our own oceans and rocky core that we have yet to explore and make sense of. There are ideas we don’t understand, and new inventions to be made. All it we have to do to accomplish these great things is to take off our masks and start asking questions about big ideas, just like the ancient greeks learned to do.

Anonymous said...

Though I do agree that people have generally decreased their curiosity for the unknown, I don't think that the curiosity has been lost. If it were lost, our rapid expansion of new technologies and knowledge of our species, other species, and other diseases would never have even started. One reason why the curiosity has depleted might be due to the fact that there are so many different explanations for the things that were listed in the quote, so we don't necessarily need to be curious about those things. However, I don't think that the curiosity for the unknown has depleted to a point where it is lost because there is so much that we have yet to learn.

Unknown said...

It is human nature to be curious, that is the way we grow and advance in life. Today we have infinite information at our fingertips with our phones, laptops, and tablets always by our sides. Personally, I do not think that curiosity has been lost from humanity. It is simply evolving. We have spent our entire time on the earth asking how the earth is created, how the cosmos came to be, and we came up with a few conclusions. However, there is only so many discoveries you can make before the next generation plateaus on discoveries. Overall, I believe that we are losing curiosity as to why the world is what it is. Yet, we did not lose our curiosity rather focused it towards other matters since we have already researched so much about how the earth works.

Anonymous said...

At a young age everyone becomes curious and wants an explanation on answer. As we grow older we tend to stop wondering and just go with the flow. When we grow up we think we already have the world all figured out. We all still do have that questioning child within us, but are we to not ask questions because we should already have it figured out? The world has so much going on and no one has if figured out. There is still so much to learn, even for grown adults!

Anonymous said...

I think that everyone is interested in learning about different things. For some people, it's how the universe works. However for others, they might want to know human history, language, or art instead the math and science of the world. It's for this reason that we know so much about everything, because people pursued what they found interesting and wanted to learn more about. Everyone is curious, but not always about the same things.

Anonymous said...

My favorite line was the one where it said that only children don't know enough not to ask the important questions. As we age, we begin to accept things as they come, and don't question everything like we used too. We haven't completely lost our curiosity of unique outlook on the world, we have just pushed it away or shown it in different ways. I think quotes like this open your mind, and make you realize that you should question more about the important things in life, like how we got here and why. Humans are always evolving and creating new things, so I don't think that our curiosity has been completely lost, it is just more focused on different things.

Anonymous said...

As I see it, children lose interest in the world as they age. Therefore their wonder of how the world works peaks at their young age. Their lack of being able to explain things scientifically leaves more room for imagination. However, the human race doesn't know everything about the Earth, and in the gaps not filled by science leave room for imagination, such as scientific theories or religious belief.

Anonymous said...

We as humans face the question of existence the second we are old enough to start to think for ourselves. As a kid the only thing you know is what older people (parents, teachers, older siblings) have told you. So many famous philosophers have attempted to answer the question of existence but their curiosity about the sun and the cosmos and where we come from has only led them to despair and non-answers other than don't think about it. The famous book "Stranger" by Albert Camus describes how a kid just turning 18 starts to question his life and if there's any meaning. He fails to find any commits a murder and then doesn't care that the town kills via firing squad. For humans it's scary to think that we have no control or meaning in the universe therefore we attempt to control so much. We control what (some) animals do for us, we control fire and we build great things to hide the fact that we can't control the cosmos or where/what we came from. So to stop us from having constant existential crises we just don't think about it, lest we fall into complete despair.

Anonymous said...

As time goes on humans believe that have attained all the knowledge they need, people think that they no longer need to learn the origin of everything or the reason for living. People become okay living in blatant ignorance. Now children have too much curiosity not to ask questions, and question everything. Adults believe they know it all already, so instead I think they must take a step back. Away from the idea that they already have it all and back to the type of thinking that they still have so much to learn.

Anonymous said...

I don't think mankind has lost curiosity about these things, but I think people are generally afraid to speak their mind about their curiosity for fear of being ridiculed. People wonder about things- wonder how it all works, but it is mostly in our heads and I think we forget that other people wonder the same things we do. I think that since we have technology at our fingertips 24/7, it is easier to look up the answer to something you are curious about, rather than asking a teacher or your parents. In general I don't think all mankind curiosity is lost, it is just changing.

Anonymous said...

After reading this quote I was amazed at the poetic thought put into this quote. It made me think about the human quest for knowledge. Personally, I don't believe our quest will end until we have learned all there is to know, which will never happen. What makes us human is our journey to learn and our need to venture into the unknown, see what has never been seen, think what has never been thought. That is mankinds strive and that is why there is no limit to knowledge.

Anonymous said...

I agree with this quote when it’s states the misunderstanding humans have of the world they live in. Everything is so new and still improving, which decreases the time to stop and appreciate what is being created. It’s interesting to talk to little kids because they have huge imaginations which is refreshing since it’s not the truth.

Anonymous said...

I think that nature is nature because you can’t really change it. It changes on it’s own. In nature, humans change all of the time. We look different after a while. We want to change because we’re learning different things all of the time. We see different things that happen around us. No matter where you go, you’ll see different people wearing different things and doing different things. Some people may learn differently than other people. Many people are different from one another.

Anonymous said...

I think its cool how there is so many different ways to look about things in the world. Like Carl Sagan said we go about life not understanding the world, I agree with what he said how we can never fully understand the world fully. This quote is a very good quote because it makes you think more about life and your surroundings. I think that there needs to be more people studying this stuff because it could be a very important aspect of life. This quote also makes me wonder more about how the Greek gods thought about things. This quote makes a great connection to Greek mythology because just like mythology it makes you think differently. Overall this is a very good quote.

Anonymous said...

For me this article makes me think about the complexity and spontaneity of the creation of the universe. It reminded me of how dependent things are of each other not only in our universe but in our lives. to put it in perspective, As social beings we have a lot of different chemicals and components working in our brains to get us exited about interaction. if one of those glands stop producing a chemical, it creates a drastic change in behavior. Similar to if one little element or particle in our universe is replaced or absent, it would create a completely different outcome.

Anonymous said...

This quote makes me realize the little amount of thought that I put into questioning the world as I got older. Which made me think the reason why we do not question the world now, is because we think we have it all figured out, until we meet someone like Carl Sagan or a young kid. These kinds of people try to ask as many questions as possible to better understand the world, be it because they do not feel they understand it like kids, or they think they do not have a great understanding of the world and want to know more like Mr. Sagan.

Anonymous said...

This quote does leave something to be pondered about the limitations of the human mind. I don't think the full capabilities of humans have been observed especially considering the fact that humans only use 10% of our brains in our daily lives. I think if people took more time expanding their minds and considering the world of possibilities instead of being confined by what they perceive as possible we would be able to use more of our brains' power than we currently can. I also find this quote to be applicable to the lives of Greek gods and their attempt to grasp the concept of things before they had science to turn to with questions.

Anonymous said...

I think the quote is saying that back then they didn't know how life worked, so they made myths about how the world works, why it happened and how it happened. The quote says "Except for children (who don’t know enough not to ask the important questions), few of us spend much time wondering why nature is the way it is". I think that is one of the most important lines because it is saying as we get age we get less curious, we don't forget about it but maybe it has already been figured out. Back then, I think they weren't as much kids but grown ups questioning why everything happens. They probably asked as grown ups because they didn't have any science to prove it so they made a way of life and how it works. Today we have science to prove our ideas, so we don't ask about them.

Anonymous said...

I think that this quote has to do with the loss of childlike wonder and innocence when it comes to the world around us. There is so much to consider, especially with evidence and theories of how our world came to be, that the fun of saying that a Lightning God that couldn't keep it in his pants became seen as only that. Fun. Not as a possible explanation, but as just a fun little tale for the ages.

JoshH2018 said...

I think that Carl Sagan's quote is less about just how children view the world but about how science fills the place of mythology. What I got from the quote was that it was important to ask the questions that you wouldn't think to ask in order to understand the world better but as most people grow up, most people lose interest in trying to learn more and understand the Universe better and the quote emphasizes that curiosity and importance.

Anonymous said...

I do not believe it is that humans race to just stop wondering. It's easily know that we love to learn, we crave it, and no one ever stops learning. We just move on to different kinds of questions that we want answers to. Which isn't the same as everyone else at times. It can be the same to a few people or many, it depends on who whats to know what. Some can agree knowing whats on the oceans floor and what lives there is important, another can be equal rights for all of humankind importance. We may not ask questions about the fire ball that is the sun or why the sky's blue because it's not as important anymore. As long as it doesn't stop burning, we can careless because there is other questions out there that one individual can call as more important in their current life. Compared to their job, gender, sexuality, where they are getting food from, or government. It's not that we stop asking questions, we ask different ones, we questioning different things. All questions are important, it just depends who you ask.

Anonymous said...

I think that humans have spent endless amounts of time trying to fathom what the created us and the universe. Such questions can't truly be answered yet causing us to make assumptions about what formed reality. These assumptions are our religions; they give people a sense of purpose and reason to why the universe exists. Humans love knowledge and consume it when ever we can, we are born to try and discover, it's in our blood to be explorers whether that be exploring North America or trying to discover atoms. When humans stop questioning we stop evolving and becoming more superior beings.

Anonymous said...

I think that people have just gave a lot of time trying to know how we were created and how we got here. I don't think that people really should worry about that because we probably will never find out. It is just a waste of time. So some people would just go to religion to answer there questions because I feel that they are insecure about what is going to happen to them after they die or just a way for them to make money. But I believe that people also need to keep asking questions.

Anonymous said...

This Quote really opens my eyes to the world around me. It amazes me that, when you take a step back to look at our lives and the world we live in, we really don’t know all that much about it. But at the same time, we never stop to think about the things we don’t know about...because we don’t know about them. How can one think of something they have never thought about before just walking down the street. Sure we can think of these questions when asked to, but it is simply not human nature to constantly be asking the unknown. I believe it is human nature to question our lives but sometimes, it’s the questions we ask that we use to from an answer. No one has the same perspective of the world as someone else, so really the world is just this big thing we all have separate knowledge about. It is the stories and myths we believe that help us to understand the world we live in.

Unknown said...

i think so many different people have their thoughts and ideas about where everyone comes from. no one will know unless that higher power one day revealed himself to the world. but that will never stop everyone from always wondering and being curious about it. i definitely agree with the quote about the misunderstanding of mankind.

Anonymous said...

Everyone walks through life without noticing that getting somewhere fast is exactly how you miss out on things. No one thinks that sky is beautiful until it does something extraordinary and no one thinks to look at the buildings we make and thing that its amazing how far we've come. The quote highlights how we just keep walking instead of looking around and loving the earth.

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

People are to caught up with social trends, and other non-important news, including media to care about the things that are keeping us alive. Everyone is keeping themselves too distracted, with modern technology, as well as what is excepted as normalcy in our society.