The Importance of Being Interested: Adventures in Scientific Curiosity
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- Create Date：2022-10-27 14:16:34
- Update Date：2025-09-24
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- Author：Robin Ince
- ISBN：1786492644
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Summary
"A delightful and scintillating hymn to science。" —Carlo Rovelli
Comedian Robin Ince quickly abandoned science at school， bored by a fog of dull lessons and intimidated by the barrage of equations。 But， twenty years later， he fell in love and he now presents one of the world's most popular science podcasts。 Every year he meets hundreds of the world's greatest thinkers。 In this erudite and witty book， Robin reveals why scientific wonder isn't just for the professionals。
Filled with interviews featuring astronauts， comedians， teachers， quantum physicists， neuroscientists and more - as well as charting Robin's own journey with science - The Importance of Being Interested explores why many wrongly think of the discipline as distant and difficult。 From the glorious appeal of the stars above to why scientific curiosity can encourage much needed intellectual humility， this optimistic and profound book will leave you filled with a thirst for intellectual adventure。
Comedian Robin Ince quickly abandoned science at school， bored by a fog of dull lessons and intimidated by the barrage of equations。 But， twenty years later， he fell in love and he now presents one of the world's most popular science podcasts。 Every year he meets hundreds of the world's greatest thinkers。 In this erudite and witty book， Robin reveals why scientific wonder isn't just for the professionals。
Filled with interviews featuring astronauts， comedians， teachers， quantum physicists， neuroscientists and more - as well as charting Robin's own journey with science - The Importance of Being Interested explores why many wrongly think of the discipline as distant and difficult。 From the glorious appeal of the stars above to why scientific curiosity can encourage much needed intellectual humility， this optimistic and profound book will leave you filled with a thirst for intellectual adventure。
Reviews
Steve Gillway
，
An interesting wander through the world of science and how it is misrepresented in schools
Shirley
，
There is much discussed in this book that is difficult to understand， but it's fascinating all the same。 There is much discussed in this book that is difficult to understand， but it's fascinating all the same。 。。。more
Nicola Bennett
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For some reason I found this very difficult to read in an electronic format， and only finished it when I changed to a paper copy。It was a widespread look at many strands of science， and the author showed a willingness to approach any question with an open mind。
Claudia Kirwan
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lots of witty and memorable revelations interspersed among brutally slow passages on i cant remember what。 worth it。
Mollie
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I loved this。 Every page and thought got me thinking more deeply and asking different questions and I LOVE thinking。
Steven Kolber
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A wonderful book， I laughed and cried and had a wonderful time in the world of the author。 Broad， far reaching and never preachy。
Sebastian
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A beautiful tribute to our curiosity， the scientific endeavor， and the general human experience！ There are few in a better position to write a book like this than Robin Ince， who masterfully connects the world of science with the one of our daily lives， and thus bridges a perceived gap that should have never been allowed to arise in the first place。I highly encourage everyone to read this wonderful book （or maybe better: listen to the author's audiobook narration）， and I promise that you won't r A beautiful tribute to our curiosity， the scientific endeavor， and the general human experience！ There are few in a better position to write a book like this than Robin Ince， who masterfully connects the world of science with the one of our daily lives， and thus bridges a perceived gap that should have never been allowed to arise in the first place。I highly encourage everyone to read this wonderful book （or maybe better: listen to the author's audiobook narration）， and I promise that you won't regret it。 。。。more
Judi Anderson
，
I still don't understand it， but I'm getting better。How can you give this book less than five stars when there are billions and billions of them out there？I've highlighted probably two-thirds of this book and will be rereading it， hopefully before the end of the universe and everything。 I still don't understand it， but I'm getting better。How can you give this book less than five stars when there are billions and billions of them out there？I've highlighted probably two-thirds of this book and will be rereading it， hopefully before the end of the universe and everything。 。。。more
David Steele
，
Mixed feelings about this。 Robin treads a difficult path in the Cage shows， keeping the momentum going and not letting the subject matter experts descend too far into the well by bringing them back up for air with a gentle joke。 This is something that works really well for subjects I know little about， but I also find it a tad irritating when I'm more comfortable with the topic， and his distraction tactics get in the way when somebody was just about to take a tin opener to a can of worms。In othe Mixed feelings about this。 Robin treads a difficult path in the Cage shows， keeping the momentum going and not letting the subject matter experts descend too far into the well by bringing them back up for air with a gentle joke。 This is something that works really well for subjects I know little about， but I also find it a tad irritating when I'm more comfortable with the topic， and his distraction tactics get in the way when somebody was just about to take a tin opener to a can of worms。In other words， Robin manages to tread a consistent middle path， and occasionally I fail to appreciate his value when I get stuck on the left or right of him。 But in reading this book， it's very obvious that Robin is a good ninety degrees left of me！ Before I go any further， I need to point out that I'm under no illusions of my own neutrality。 I’m not a natural conservative （either with or without a capital C） and on the "political compass" test， I get as close to the centre as makes no odds， but my own biases are clear to me; I've got no time for identity politics or pandering to what I've come to think of as the Modern Left。 I was rather surprised by Robin's rather obvious political bias， not because it exists （he’s entitled to his own opinions） but because he’s an author of a book on cognition who simply doesn’t seem to recognise his own biases。Perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised at all。 Ince is a long-time BBC host， so it should be quite natural that somebody spending so much time in the liberal elite echo chamber would accept much of what is written in the Guardian as received wisdom， be an outspoken advocate of globalism and generally have very little time for any view that wasn't openly leftist。In this book， there's a whole chapter on how the mind works， complete with memory distortions， cognitive biases and false assumptions。 Robin seems entirely happy to frame the world through the distorting filter of his BBC bubble， never once realising that the water in which he swims doesn't reflect about 50% of the population’s view of reality。 The underlying message is that the world would be much better if everyone saw the world like Robin。 Perhaps it would， for all I know。I think maybe the last three chapters of this book don't use "right wing" as shorthand for "ignorant" at some point。 Most of the other chapters do。 The same can be said for the pejorative use of "nationalist" ， or the interchangeable way in which "religious" and "fundamentalist" are applied。 To be fair， a number of these uses are to be found in quotes， but from a structuralist point of view， we can learn a lot by the quotes that were not selected。 Occasionally this got quite amusing， seeing just how far he's prepared to go to get thumbs up from colleagues in the staff canteen， such as earnestly discussing the merits of ‘Whitey on the Moon’， the inherent racism of western science， or the idea that "good aliens" （like those in Close Encounters） are Matriarchal ， but "evil" invaders （like those in Alien） are Patriarchal， even though the boss-level Alien was a queen。Don’t get me wrong， though。 I’ll repeat that Robin is entitled to his own opinions and biases， just as I am。 It’s only the fact that he talks a lot about right-wing （ignorant） detractors of science being blinkered because of their politics， without ever once recognising the splinter in his own eye。That said， I can forgive all the globalist bias and lefty politics， because at the heart of this is a really good and interesting book。 I found the chapter of death and dying particularly well done。 We don't talk about dying nearly enough in the west， and his contribution was very welcome。 。。。more
Michael Asteriou
，
A highly entertaining/educating book。 I now have the urge to consume "The Infinite Monkey Cage" by Brian Cox and Robin Ince， sounds like fun。 A highly entertaining/educating book。 I now have the urge to consume "The Infinite Monkey Cage" by Brian Cox and Robin Ince， sounds like fun。 。。。more
Faith Hogan
，
Very much enjoyed this， in my quest to expand my reading time outside my usual interests。 One of those books to dip into， but you just keep dipping and before you know it， you've finished the book， it's an easy read （accessible） if you are reading outside of your usual genre。 Happy to recommend。 Very much enjoyed this， in my quest to expand my reading time outside my usual interests。 One of those books to dip into， but you just keep dipping and before you know it， you've finished the book， it's an easy read （accessible） if you are reading outside of your usual genre。 Happy to recommend。 。。。more
Rebecca
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Appropriately interesting。 There are an almost daunting number of interviewees but， while it very often makes you stop & think， this is not a difficult book。 Like Robin’s shows the writing is thoughtful & deceptively well laid out， retaining a gentle & almost rambling feel。 Unlike Robin’s shows it could have done with tightening editing， occasionally it is said something will be discussed in more detail later， when actually it was covered earlier。 Also， the chapters could have been better ordere Appropriately interesting。 There are an almost daunting number of interviewees but， while it very often makes you stop & think， this is not a difficult book。 Like Robin’s shows the writing is thoughtful & deceptively well laid out， retaining a gentle & almost rambling feel。 Unlike Robin’s shows it could have done with tightening editing， occasionally it is said something will be discussed in more detail later， when actually it was covered earlier。 Also， the chapters could have been better ordered。 。。。more
Jay
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It wasn't what I thought it was going to be， and it asked a lot of questions that are either too hard for me to contemplate or too rooted in our lack of what we understand。 It wasn't until the final chapters that I started getting engaged in the narrative being presented。 It wasn't what I thought it was going to be， and it asked a lot of questions that are either too hard for me to contemplate or too rooted in our lack of what we understand。 It wasn't until the final chapters that I started getting engaged in the narrative being presented。 。。。more
Nick Fuller
，
Ince has a lovely， warm and unique way of covering science。 It's engaging and often fascinating - it's espeically good for those of us who would never read a sciecne text book。 Since he interviews a number of the most intelligent Scientists and thinkers （quite apart of course from presnting alonsgide Prof Brian Cox）， Ince positions himself by comparison as 'one of us' mere mortals; in this he does himself a disservce because he is very sharp indeed。The scope of subject matter here is vast and re Ince has a lovely， warm and unique way of covering science。 It's engaging and often fascinating - it's espeically good for those of us who would never read a sciecne text book。 Since he interviews a number of the most intelligent Scientists and thinkers （quite apart of course from presnting alonsgide Prof Brian Cox）， Ince positions himself by comparison as 'one of us' mere mortals; in this he does himself a disservce because he is very sharp indeed。The scope of subject matter here is vast and reraders are likely to find some areas more involving than others but Ince's writing is always inviting and involving。It's funny， enlightening and， at times， poignant; he's an excellent guide。 。。。more
Madeline
，
Well written， funny， and accessible， this was a pleasure to read but very different to what you'd expect from the blurb。 I will be putting it in the "memoir and biography" portion of my bookshelf now， after it's been sitting uncomfortably in "science and technology" waiting to be read。 It is about the author's personal philosophy， searching for meaning as an atheist through contemplation of scientific wonders， and how such a philosophy could support others in building a better world。 If you pick Well written， funny， and accessible， this was a pleasure to read but very different to what you'd expect from the blurb。 I will be putting it in the "memoir and biography" portion of my bookshelf now， after it's been sitting uncomfortably in "science and technology" waiting to be read。 It is about the author's personal philosophy， searching for meaning as an atheist through contemplation of scientific wonders， and how such a philosophy could support others in building a better world。 If you pick this up hoping to learn about science， you may be disappointed， but if you've never considered reading a science book before then it might inspire you to do so。 Every chapter introduces a "mindf***" concept from the world of science （largely cosmology） and prompts the reader to muse on its implications for the big questions of life through a series of humorous vignettes and dialogues。 It encourages you to adopt science not just as a means to an end， but as a religion that can bring depth and inspiration to your life。 While there's no explicit atheist agenda， it does assume that the reader - like the writer - is interested in gaining the comforts of faith through science。 In and of itself， the attitude is admirable and the reasoning sensible， but I find some passages， in which faith and science are presented as competing forces， to be rather one-dimensional。I can't give it five stars because I don't think I learned much from this book。 I neither improved my understanding of science nor gained a new philosophical perspective， but your mileage may vary depending on the concepts with which you are already familiar。 That said， I did thoroughly enjoy reading it and will listen to the author's podcast as that may be a more suitable format for this kind of existential meandering。 。。。more
Neal Peters
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Basically read this twice; once to get the words in my head in the way Robin talks， then again to understand them。 Very enjoyable and informative covering a wealth of high-level science subjects and why scientists do their job。 Just read it。
Tasha
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Brilliant。 Loved this selection of essays on science - struggling with trying to understand the deepest parts of all subjects when this is so not your thing。 I completely relate！ You want to know more about how things work / why they happen， etc。 and you end up in a rabbit hole of exploration。 Absolutely fascinating。Blurb: Robin Ince abandoned science at secondary school， bored by a fog of dull lessons and intimidated by the barrage of equations。 But， twenty years later， he fell in love with it Brilliant。 Loved this selection of essays on science - struggling with trying to understand the deepest parts of all subjects when this is so not your thing。 I completely relate！ You want to know more about how things work / why they happen， etc。 and you end up in a rabbit hole of exploration。 Absolutely fascinating。Blurb: Robin Ince abandoned science at secondary school， bored by a fog of dull lessons and intimidated by the barrage of equations。 But， twenty years later， he fell in love with it and now he presents one of the most popular science podcasts。 Every year， he meets hundreds of the world's greatest thinkers。In this witty and often profound tour through science， Robin argues that scientific wonder should be for everyone。 Packed with interviews featuring astronauts， comedians， teachers， quantum physicists， neuroscientists and more - as well as charting Robin's own journey with science - The Importance of Being Interested argues that many wrongly think of the discipline as distant and difficult。 From the glorious appeal of the night sky to why scientific thinking helps us navigate a divided world， this optimistic book will leave you with a thirst for intellectual adventure。This book is not for reading in one sitting - well， not for me！ I've been reading a chapter （an essay）， then reading something fluffy in between。 That way， what Robin says can sink into my brain， which has always struggled with science。 I also want to know "why"， but the maths involved gets me every time！ It's nice to know that I'm not alone， and Robin can explain things so that I can understand them。 A fascinating， and fabulous read。 Not from a box。 I should have picked this up when Robin came to give a talk in Linlithgow， and get it signed。 I didn't - damn' COVID！ I haven't seen Robin since the mid-'90's， when I won tickets on the local radio station to see him give a comedy show in Bath！ My husband and I went to Uni with Robin， and he remembered my husband， as he used to be head of the Union Security。 It would have been interesting to meet him again， 500 miles away and 30 years distant from our last encounter， and see if there was any recollection then！ Oh， well - COVID got in the way， but I still managed to get a signed copy held back for me at the bookshop。 Definitely a keeper。 。。。more
Jeff Chalker
，
As one half of the popular science duo with Brian Cox， Robin Ince has privileged access to one of science's great popularisers。 He begins the book by confessing ignorance of all the more abstruse and mathematical aspects of physics。 Nevertheless he manages to stretch his ignorance to nearly 400 pages。He starts enthusiastically with the harder sciences: astronomy， cosmology， particle physics。 He makes a reasonable job of explaining why， despite being counter-intuitive， these subjects are remarkab As one half of the popular science duo with Brian Cox， Robin Ince has privileged access to one of science's great popularisers。 He begins the book by confessing ignorance of all the more abstruse and mathematical aspects of physics。 Nevertheless he manages to stretch his ignorance to nearly 400 pages。He starts enthusiastically with the harder sciences: astronomy， cosmology， particle physics。 He makes a reasonable job of explaining why， despite being counter-intuitive， these subjects are remarkable intellectual achievements。 The book then drifts into softer subjects - anthropology， psychology， sociology， culture - where Ince clearly feels more comfortable。 However as he does so it becomes increasingly vague and unfocussed。 In the "Afterword" we find out why。 It turns out the book was Ince's Lockdown Project - a cascade of words and thoughts with no clear purpose other than to occupy an over-active mind。 He does， though， stick to the message in the title - which is a worthwhile one。By the end he seems to be carrying on just to meet some word-count target without a thought for his original purpose， namely to explain why science is special and enduring。 He winds up with a series of self-help platitudes: "Things connect。 Webs are made。 The mundane has the potential to become fabulous。 The inscrutable is beguiling。 Change is possible。 Everything contains a story" Even the famously serene Professor Cox would be losing it at this point - if indeed he got this far。 。。。more
Jami
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I found this book to be very interesting （no pun on the title）。 It's easily digestible even if science has never been something that falls into your normal range of learning or interest。 I listened to the Audible version， which helped me through some of the bits I might have rushed over had I been reading it。 I found this book to be very interesting （no pun on the title）。 It's easily digestible even if science has never been something that falls into your normal range of learning or interest。 I listened to the Audible version， which helped me through some of the bits I might have rushed over had I been reading it。 。。。more
Colin Marks
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I'll start by saying I like Robin Ince， he's a great co-host on Infinite Monkey Cage， and his intelligence and humour are normally engaging。 Unfortunately， his book on being interested， just wasn't， well， interesting。The book is about science and curiosity， but it's incredibly rambling。 Ideas aren't pursued before he spins off。 He just gets beneath the surface on a topic， then wham， he's off quoting somebody and heading in a different direction。 Robin mentions the "tangential nature of my jabber I'll start by saying I like Robin Ince， he's a great co-host on Infinite Monkey Cage， and his intelligence and humour are normally engaging。 Unfortunately， his book on being interested， just wasn't， well， interesting。The book is about science and curiosity， but it's incredibly rambling。 Ideas aren't pursued before he spins off。 He just gets beneath the surface on a topic， then wham， he's off quoting somebody and heading in a different direction。 Robin mentions the "tangential nature of my jabbering" when on-stage， and I imagine it works well with a live audience。 On paper ， it feels unfleshed out。The clincher for me was the comment， "I would hope that those private companies that are now financing space missions have not build up their fortunes needed to become extraterrestrial by skimping on tax or employee rights and benefits"， that's exactly what they've done - it's well documented。It feels like a lock-down project that was rushed to completion as the world started opening up。 Some parts are worth reading， so 3 stars。Book supplied by Netgalley for an honest review。 。。。more
Anders Brabaek
，
This book consist mostly of reflexions around astrophysics - not science in general。 The author also occasionally reflect on faith and religion。 in other words， the title is slightly misleading。 The writing flows nicely but I was looking forward to a book on the importance of being interested and scientific curiosity - and this wasn't it This book consist mostly of reflexions around astrophysics - not science in general。 The author also occasionally reflect on faith and religion。 in other words， the title is slightly misleading。 The writing flows nicely but I was looking forward to a book on the importance of being interested and scientific curiosity - and this wasn't it 。。。more
Richard
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It feels as if every paragraph is a mico-interview or a jump to a new idea。 But all on the theme of the chapter。 If you've been to a RI gig， it's exactly what you'd expect and want。 It feels as if every paragraph is a mico-interview or a jump to a new idea。 But all on the theme of the chapter。 If you've been to a RI gig， it's exactly what you'd expect and want。 。。。more
Andrei
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Teadusteemalise taskuhäälinguga tuntust kogunud koomiku läbilõige sellest， mida teadus meile täna meid ümbritseva universumi kohta öelda oskab。 Suurest paugust mustade aukudeni， kosmose uurimisest tulnukateni， jumala olemasolust tegelikkuse tajumiseni， vandenõuteooriatest vaktsiinideni。 Nagu selliste populaarteaduslike amokijooksudega kipub olema， ühestki teemast kuigi põhjalikult teada ei saa， kuid tegemist on muheda lugemisega， kust võtta tõejärgseks ristitud ajastul kaasa üheltpoolt küllaga s Teadusteemalise taskuhäälinguga tuntust kogunud koomiku läbilõige sellest， mida teadus meile täna meid ümbritseva universumi kohta öelda oskab。 Suurest paugust mustade aukudeni， kosmose uurimisest tulnukateni， jumala olemasolust tegelikkuse tajumiseni， vandenõuteooriatest vaktsiinideni。 Nagu selliste populaarteaduslike amokijooksudega kipub olema， ühestki teemast kuigi põhjalikult teada ei saa， kuid tegemist on muheda lugemisega， kust võtta tõejärgseks ristitud ajastul kaasa üheltpoolt küllaga skeptitsismi igasuguse soolapuhumise suhtes， aga teisalt ka empaatiat põhjuste osas， mis selleni viivad。 Ja muidugi elutervet stoitsismi oma savanniaju abil universumi hoomamatusega hakkama saada ning elutervet tasakaalukust ootuste osas， mida teadusliku meetodi abil saab või ei saa öelda。 3。5/5 。。。more
Dave Allan
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Not every chapter of the book is a 5 out of 5 but as a whole I thought it was brilliant。As much as anything it makes you think and want to know more。 There are enough references for you easily to go and find more out but about what？ Robin has basically committed verbal diarrhoea to the page on a vast number of topics leaving you with new knowledge on a topic but also instilling a new interest。
Quinns Bookshop
，
An accessible and funny way to explain science to anyone who doesn’t really get science！ Robin doesn’t dumb down or scrimp on detail and yet none of the information in here is overwhelming， and with it all being delivered in such an amusing way， it’s incredibly easy to digest。 Informative， fascinating and at times perversely comforting。 Excellent book！
Maria Lyle
，
Found this witty and detailed enough with the scientific element that I understood it…。without losing me after two chapters like some of the hard science I have tried to battle through。 Good fun。
Malcolm Beck
，
I really enjoyed this but there are definitely some chapters I need to read again。 Especially when it come to the discussions on reality， the enormity of the universe and it place in it。 I think he’s done his job -I certainly feel more curious！
Mags Delaney
，
Not my usual kind of book but I loved it - really interesting in a knowledgeable but unpatronizing way。Robin Ince is an everyman - and a very humble and self depreciating one at that。 His ability to make the most mind stretching concepts understandable is a gift。I thoroughly recommend this book especially if your experience with sciencey things at school left you with the heeby jeebies！
Carolyn Drake
，
The infectious enthusiasm of Robin Ince as a comedian and presenter is mirrored in his writing style。 This is a book about big questions and the wonder， terror and fun of examining and contemplating the possible answers。 Ince has spoken to a huge range of interesting people about science and creativity， presenting their passion and knowledge on the page with whizz bang wit。 It reminded me in tone of Bill Bryson's A Short History Of Nearly Everything。 The infectious enthusiasm of Robin Ince as a comedian and presenter is mirrored in his writing style。 This is a book about big questions and the wonder， terror and fun of examining and contemplating the possible answers。 Ince has spoken to a huge range of interesting people about science and creativity， presenting their passion and knowledge on the page with whizz bang wit。 It reminded me in tone of Bill Bryson's A Short History Of Nearly Everything。 。。。more
Francesca Astraea
，