A philosophy and practice of asking the deeper, more essential questions required to address the complex problems we face as individuals, businesses, and a society.
The rational mind prefers answers over questions. But we live in irrational times.
Albert Einstein once said: "If I had sixty minutes to solve a problem and my life depended on it, I'd spend fifty-five minutes determining the right question to ask." At a time when our problems are too complex to be satisfied by familiar answers, today we need questions more than ever. Yet, in a world where information is valued above knowledge, ideology drowns out discourse, and the demands of "doing" leave little space for thinking, curiosity--the engine of inquiry--has become an endangered species.
So much of modern life is built upon a set of narratives that have gone unquestioned for too long, says entrepreneur and thought-leader Seth Goldenberg. In this unique blend of modern-day philosophy, cultural criticism, and business strategy, he argues that by embracing radical curiosity, we can we begin rewriting the narratives that no longer serve us, our organizations, or the institutions at the bedrock of our society. To do so, we must adopt a practice of relearning how we learn, reengaging in dialogue, returning to nature, reviving our childlike sense of wonder, and more.
A bold and provocative book from a brilliant contrarian thinker, Radical Curiosity reminds us that questioning the status quo is a necessary precondition for progress. Seth Goldenberg is an entrepreneur and thought-leader working at the intersection of design, business, and culture. Since founding Epic Decade, Goldenberg has led a series of high-profile projects to help organizations build their capacity for ambitious change. He was previously co-CEO of the research insights group Now What, interim chief marketing officer of the state of Rhode Island, chief marketing officer of Intarcia Therapeutics, VP of Bruce Mau Design Studio, executive director of Massive Change, where he led major client engagements such as Oprah Winfrey Network, Disney Imagineering, and Myspace, and founder and curator of the civic engagement program for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, "Dialog:City." His work has been featured in the New York Times, Wired, Fast Company, and HuffPo.
