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Comment by 0xbadcafebee | Hacker News Reader

Haha, I love that this got downvoted so much. It shows the mentality of some of the people here. Apparently thirst for knowledge and clever ingenuity can be "learned".

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I believe thirst for knowledge can be learned. Ask any child (or adult!) who gets their mind blown what they see through a magnifying glass or a telescope. Maybe that's not learning thirst for knowledge so much as kick-starting it, but I think it's close enough.

I'm not sure about clever ingenuity, but it's not a stretch to say that that's a faculty that can be exercised and cultivated, no matter how paltry or weak it is initially. A lot of things can be learned, states of mind included. Ask any Buddhist monk.

edit: formatting

in your example thirst for knowledge was not learned, it came naturally. if a person looked throught the telescope and wasn't filled with wonder and curiosity, would you say that was a failure in teaching? no, because some people do not care. they are not naturally curious. also there is a distinction between someone who is curious and someone who is compelled to tinker and learn more due to their curiosity. any normal boy may be curious how his RC car works. a hacker takes it apart and tries to obtain the secret to this mysterious device and what makes it tick. i do not believe you can be shown how to have this trait. you can emulate it, but you gave to really obtain a curiosity about all things unknown. is it possible to develop this trait over time? yes. but i think it has to come naturally, and not by a book or FAQ.

You make a good point. But I think most people, given the right external stimulus, will become aware of a thirst for knowledge. I think it's an open question as to whether anamnesis is real or not, and whether only people with a predisposition toward knowledge can be wakenened to it. Personally, I believe that given an appropriately interesting, tailored goad, anyone can be stimulated to wonder and curiosity, and the concomitant desire to de- and reconstruct. I think a book or an FAQ can be that goad.

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