[jdavis703]

> Just as knowing why apples fall down and aeroplanes fly up, the citizens of the 21st century need to know that computers are not magical boxes but composed of dynamic models.

I'm not sure most of the public could explain why gravity works, or how an airplane actually gets in the sky. This is because most people are not inquisitive by nature, they generally take things at face value without questioning why. This kind of attitude does not work if you want to build something complex whether it be software, a car, or a bridge. I think the first step is how we as a society can encourage a generation of thinkers and tinkerers.

[sbuttgereit]

> This is because most people are not inquisitive by nature, they generally take things at face value without questioning why.

I have to disagree with this statement. Almost all people that I meet, pretty much across all group boundaries you can imagine, I find to be inquisitive. Very inquisitive in fact.

What I think you may be observing is that the depths of questions that many are interested in aren't great... gossip magazines, for example serve to give answers to an inquisitive populous, we can question the value of such questions, but that is still a drive to know something.

Also, I find that when people do ask deeper questions they can be simply overwhelmed by the answers. I'm not particularly good at mathematics, but often times work with people that are in the very top tier in that realm: I will ask certain questions for which I'm simply not prepared to hear the answer... the answer requires background that I simply don't have... I am genuinely interested, but the required prep work is simply out of the question. One could argue that the answers can be simplified as well, but that's not always true.

[Insanity]

I think the problem with creating a society of thinkers and tinkerers is that some people just do not find it interesting, so we should not force them into it.

I am curious by nature and like learning new things and figuring out how things work, and it has been like that since I was a kid. My brother is the exact oposite to me, yet we both had the same upbringings (we differ just three years).

When he studied the sciences, it was just pass highschool degree, and after that he went into the social field as a caretaker for special-needs children. I doubt he would benefit a great deal in his day to day life from knowing why apples fall down or planes fly up.

Whilst I like the idea of encouraging a generation of thinkers and tinkerers, I accept that it just isn't for everyone, and neither should it be. Maybe it's just not in their nature.

[rtens]

That's a nice example since nobody can explain how gravity works. It's the least understood force in the universe =)

I agree that most people are not inquisitive but I don't think it's by nature since most children I met were very very inquisitive. So my approach is to make it easy to stay a tinkerer.