A Curious Mind (32 page)

Chapter 7:
The Golden Age of Curiosity

1
. From Arthur C. Clarke's 1951 book predicting the future of space travel:
The Exploration of Space
(New York: Harper and Brothers, 1951, since re-issued), chapter 18, p. 187.

2
. Bees are surprisingly fast: they cruise along at about fifteen miles an hour and can go twenty miles an hour when they need to. So they are as fast as a slow-moving car—but up close, given their small size, they seem to be going quite fast.

More on the speed of flying bees at this site from the University of California:
ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=10898
, accessed October 18, 2014.

3
. An excellent scientific biography of Robert Hooke: Michael W. Davidson, “Robert Hooke: Physics, Architecture, Astronomy, Paleontology, Biology,”
LabMedicine
41, 180–82.

Available online:
labmed.ascpjournals.org/content/41/3/180.full
, accessed October 18, 2014.

4
. Curiosity as “an outlaw impulse,” from Barbara M. Benedict,
Curiosity: A Cultural History of Early Modern Inquiry
(Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2001), 25.

5
. Beina Xu, “Media Censorship in China,”
Council on Foreign Relations
, February 12, 2014,
www.cfr.org/china/media-censorship-china/p11515
, accessed October 18, 2014.

6
. The Karl Marx quote is often miscited as, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” The full context of the quote is revealing, because Marx was making an observation on the oppression and misery of the working class, which he thought religion tried to both paper over and justify. The full quote, which comes from Marx'
Critique of the Hegelian Philosophy of Right
(Cambridge University Press, 1977, p. 131), is: “The wretchedness of religion is at once an expression of and a protest against real wretchedness. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.

“The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is a demand for their true happiness. The call to abandon illusions about their condition is the call to abandon a condition which requires illusions. Thus, the critique of religion is the critique in embryo of the vale of tears of which religion is the halo.”

A note about the index
: The pages referenced in this index refer to the page numbers in the print edition. Clicking on a page number will take you to the ebook location that corresponds to the beginning of that page in the print edition. For a comprehensive list of locations of any word or phrase, use your reading system's search function.

Entries found on pages 273–286 refer to content found in the Notes.

Abrahamson, Joan,
154
–55

Academy Awards,
107
–8,
139
,
165
,
177

accountability

and curiosity,
182

and democracy,
183
–84

action, taking,
9
,
129
,
149

See also:
doing nothing

actors: characteristics of great,
140
–41

Adam and Eve story,
11
–13

advertising executives:

curiosity of,
94

Affleck, Ben,
90

Allen, Herbert A.,
117

Allende, Salvador,
70

Allred, Gloria,
53

American dream:

Imagine movies about,
167
–68

American Gangster
(movie),
6
,
36
,
77
,
167
–68,
169

Andersen, Hans Christian,
104

animals:

curiosity of,
6
–7

answers to questions:

and familiarity as enemy of curiosity,
159

paying attention to,
9

purpose of,
152

and questioning culture,
152

“right,”
146
–52

surprising,
63
–67

See also:
listening

anti-curiosity

and
Cry-Baby
movie,
173
–74

definition of,
170

of Grazer,
172
–74

and “making the case,”
170
,
171

need for,
169
–85

and “no,”
170
–71,
172
–73

and when to be anti-curious,
175

and when not to be curious,
173
–75

Apollo 13
(movie):

and curiosity as shared knowledge,
82

and curiosity as storytelling,
35
–36

Hanks's role in,
148

as Howard-Grazer production,
31

influence of Grazer's early career on,
6

London showing of,
226
–29

Lovell-Grazer curiosity conversation and,
24

reality and,
78

“right” version of,
148

as story of real people,
164

which parts are true,
279

White House screening of,
129
–31

See also:
Lovell, Jim

archiving results of curiosity,
198
–99

Arrested Development
(TV show),
79
,
119

art:

of Jeff Koons,
219
–21

and Grazer's interest in painting,
124

artistic curiosity,
199

Ashley, Ted,
17

Asimov, Isaac,
23
,
97
–100,
110
,
281

Asimov, Janet Jeppson,
99
,
110
,
281

Aspen Ideas Festival:

Koons-Grazer meeting at,
221

Asperger Syndrome:

and Grazer's curiosity on behalf of Riley,
162

audience expectations,
112

autonomy:

curiosity and,
192

Avco Theater (Los Angeles):

Cry-Baby
at,
218

Splash
at,
108
,
218

Backdraft
(movie),
31
,
45
,
128

Bailey, F. Lee,
26
–28,
73

Baldridge, Letitia,
87
–88,
90
,
91

baseball:

McCain-Grazer conversation about,
208

baseball cap:

as Grazer's gift to Bush (George W.),
212
–13

Beastie Boys,
48

Beatty, Warren,
5
,
106

A Beautiful Mind
(movie),
6
,
31
,
45
,
119
,
148
,
163
–66,
168

A Beautiful Mind
(Nasar),
163
,
164

bee-car story,
187
–88,
190
–91,
285

Bel-Air Hotel (Los Angeles): Oprah-Grazer conversation at,
225
–26

Benedict, Barbara,
13
,
194
–95,
196

Berle, Milton,
217

Bible:

Adam and Eve story in,
11
–13

Asimov's literary guides to,
98

bin Laden, Osama,
49

Blatty, William Peter,
5

Blue Crush
(movie),
124

Blue sky question,
274
–75

Boredom, curiosity as cure,
1

Boseman, Chad,
137

“boss”:

asking questions of,
150

in entertainment industry,
141

at Imagine Entertainment,
127
–32

using curiosity as,
134
–37,
139
–43,
144
–50

boxing:

Mailer-Grazer conversation about,
221
–23

Braddock, James J.,
207
,
221
,
222

bravery:

curiosity and,
97
,
124
,
169
,
191

Brin, Sergey,
146
,
147

Brolin, Josh,
93

Bronfman, Clarissa,
131

Bronfman, Edgar Jr.,
128
–29,
130
,
131

Brown, Brené,
127
,
283
–84

Brown, James,
101
,
137
–39,
149

See also:
Get On Up

Brown, Paul,
57
,
278

Bush, George H.W.,
42
,
276

Bush, George W.,
205
,
207
,
209
,
212
–13,
221

Calley, John,
17
,
18
–19,
20
,
21
,
28
,
275

Cameron, James,
178

Captain Phillips
(movie),
78

car-bee story,
187
–88,
190
–91,
284
–85

car cup holders,
55
,
278

Carrey, Jim,
28
,
45
,
110
,
111
,
176

Cartel
(movie script),
93
–94

Carter, Graydon,
125
–26,
163
,
203
,
206

Casey, Bill,
49

Castro, Fidel,
126
,
202
–6

CBS,
125
,
203
,
204
,
274
–75

Charles (British prince),
226

children:

curiosity of,
3
,
7
,
10
–11,
193

and Dr. Seuss's books,
113
–14

Chile:

De Negri story and,
69
–76

China:

curiosity in,
195
–96

CIA (Central Intelligence Agency),
23
,
48
–49,
73

Cinderella Man
(movie),
176
–77,
207
,
212
–13,
221

city planners:

curiosity of,
94

Clarke, Arthur C.,
153
–54,
187

classrooms:

curiosity in,
13
–14

Clinton, Bill,
129
–32,
212

Clinton, Chelsea,
130

Clinton, Hillary,
130

Closet Land
(movie),
75
,
205

coaches:

curiosity and,
54
,
59

Colby, William,
49

Columbia Pictures,
21

commitment:

taste and,
180

compassion:

connections and,
133

complacency:

and benefits of curiosity,
33
–34

confidence:

anti-curiosity and,
172
,
173

and asking questions as admitting ignorance,
118

and being different,
123

curiosity as source of,
33
,
34
,
100
–101,
118
,
132
,
169
,
181
,
191

as foundation of ambition,
109

of Gates,
44

as important in entertainment business,
33

and making hard calls,
118

and recognizing good ideas,
179

taste and,
180
–81

and when to stop being curious,
175

connections:

actors and,
140
–41

characteristics of,
133

curiosity conversations and,
127

curiosity as means for making,
132
–45,
161
–62,
189

and familiarity as enemy of curiosity,
158
,
160

importance of,
133
–34

“making your case” and,
140

and management,
134
–37,
142
–44

motivation and,
142

and purpose of curiosity,
161
–62

sincerity of,
133

trust and,
133
,
189

in workplace,
133
–46

Connelly, Jennifer,
164
,
165

consumer research,
57
,
59

conversation:

as art,
199

as central to entertainment business,
19

See also:
curiosity conversations; specific conversation

Corning,
14

courage:

curiosity as form of,
97
,
124
,
132
,
169
,
191

creativity:

curiosity compared with,
58
–62,
189
–90

curiosity as tool for sparking,
37
,
55
,
58
–62,
132
,
151
,
192

experts' views about,
60

Grazer's views about,
151
,
193

talking about,
58
,
59
–60

teaching,
60
–61

criticism:

and when not to be anti-curious,
175

Crowe, Russell,
78
,
143
,
144
,
148
,
164
,
165
,
176
–77,
207