Exploration Beyond: The Role of Curiosity in Shaping Humanity’s Future

Have you ever heard “Curiosity killed the cat?” This simple childish warning can destroy our most extraordinary instinct as human beings. We’re curious beings from birth. As babies, we explore everything with our hands, toes, eyes, nose, and mouths. Amazing how much went into our mouths.

Often our curiosity is guided and restrained as we grow. Sometimes for our safety as we explore something dangerous. Our teachers can limit our curiosity because they have too much to teach and very little time. Yet, our curiosity drives us as a species to grow, improve, discover, and achieve. Our curiosity is vital to our survival as individuals and species. Because we are curious, we look over the horizon and explore possibilities. We find solutions to our problems and discover what we are truly capable of.

Exploration Beyond thrives on curiosity. I’m David Alan Lucas.

I’m not a scientist or a professional philosopher. I don’t have an extensive list of letters behind my name. I don’t work in a lab or at an observatory. I’m a writer and a thinker who is always curious about our future and universe. An amateur philosopher. But I am a well-read amateur exploring the frontiers of the possible who likes to explore the metaphysical questions surrounding our possible futures for the science fiction I write. It allows me to explore where my curious mind leads me, allowing me to be a generalist rather than a specialist. I want to share my exploration into the possible futures with you that we hope and even dread to see for humanity.

Together, we will examine the prospects being explored today. We will explore our place among the planets, the stars, and the universe. Our nature is to explore the frontier. Despite the fearful desire to stay where we are and live in the moment, we always travel forward in time. We face overwhelming problems as a species and as a society. Despair and hopelessness can drown us. Our drive to explore, solve problems, and dream about the future shines the light of hope and shows us who we are.

It is our nature of curiosity that compels us forward. It gives us the empathy to understand the struggles and hopes of our fellow humans. Our curiosity drives us to expand our understanding. Our curiosity creates libraries of new knowledge. Our curiosity creates a need to achieve beyond what we thought we could. Our curious nature strengthens our connections with each other and the universe.

I hope you join me on this journey of exploring the discoveries, visions, hopes, and fears about our future. Together, we will venture past today’s questions and peek over the horizon weekly. We will explore the concepts proposed in how to reduce carbon emissions. In our imagination we will settle on other worlds. We'll increase our life expectancy. We'll explore life with artificial intelligence. We'll explore so much more.

We stand in the forest of the possible and try to find the path leading us to “tomorrow.”

Together, we'll talk about the stars. We'll discuss our universe as more and more are learned, raising even more questions. We’ll explore the idea that we’re alone in the universe. We'll examine the idea that the universe is filled with life to be discovered. We’ll ask the most important question anyone can ask about the universe. What is that question? It’s “What if?” What if things turn out better than we think? What if they turn out worse? What if we are entirely wrong?

We will use scientific knowledge and theory as the fuel in our engines. We'll use the scientific method to navigate the possible, probable, and the fantastical. We'll launch down the wormholes of our imagination. Together we will taste what tomorrow might bring. We'll see what life might be like in the distant and not-so-distant future. We'll smell the breath of life our descendants might breathe as life is extended.

Oh . . . you may ask, “What engines are we using to explore these possibilities?” Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson said, “Curiosity is the engine of achievement.” We'll use our ability for creative thinking. We'll use the engine of curiosity. We'll use our desire to feed our inquisitive spirit. We'll dive through the layers of our world and our universe to discover who we are and what we’re truly capable of.

Won’t you join me on this weekly journey of Exploration Beyond?