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The programme that explains the present by exploring the past.

The Forum: Curiosity

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circa 1950: A miniature globe belonging to the Helena Rubinstein collection being examined with the help of a magnifying glass.

01/06/2013 GMT

Curiosity

BBC World Service - The Forum, Curiosity

Curiosity has always been with us but how important is it to science and to society?

What is the proper place for curiosity in the 21st century? And is it always a good thing?

Curiosity has always been with us but it's not always easy to say what is the optimum amount in any given situation. Have the cosmologists lost sight of it in a dogmatic theory of the universe? Are there lessons in the scientific spirit of the 17th century? And when it comes to human beings and curiosity, does curiosity carry dangers for young people in changing societies? Joining Carrie Gracie are theoretical physicist Lee Smolin, science historian Philip Ball and social scientist Masooda Bano. 

(Image: Young girl peering into a 3D object. Credit: Al Barry/Three Lions/Getty Images)

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