“How do you think about X? And how do you think about Y? …The takeaway is always: how did that person look at that problem and take a really weird perspective on it that I can now start — hopefully — adding to my arsenal of weird things to think about.” ~ James Fuller

The Big Asheville Science Salon cultivates curiosity and community through seriously cool science, presented in a seriously unserious setting.

How could I not have this conversation?

Evolutionary biologist James Fuller just wanted to hear other scientists talk about their work. So he built a thing. And people came…

If you trust that the audience is smart enough to understand what you’re talking about, if you explain it well, but recognize that they don’t have a background or an expertise, then you bring them along for the ride. And it gives you an opportunity to say something we don’t often say in professional circles, which is: isn’t this cool?!

We talk about self-interestedly creating the things we want in life, aha moments and new ways of thinking, why people show up, overcoming the idea we’re “bad at science”, what discourages curiosity, gleefully diving into what we don’t understand, community as a consequence of curiosity, stopping to wonder, owning ignorance, and the advantages of learning from people who struggle.

Listen to Ep. 337: The Big Asheville Science Salon: Curiosity & Community, with James Fuller

Sometimes we just get carried away with the Big Jar of Wannabe Analogies. And so it was this time: we were into it! Listen to the Ep. 337 BONUS #Analogy segment. (5 min)

The Big Asheville Science Salon is the brainchild of James Fuller. Join B.A.S.S. for serious science in a seriously unserious setting, the first Wednesday of each month at The Mule in Asheville, NC.

Everything about B.A.S.S. reminded me of the work of another evolutionary biologist, Sofia Forss. She studies curiosity and sociality — the degree to which individuals in an animal population tend to associate in social groups and form cooperative societies. Check out that conversation: Curiosity in Apes, with Sofia Forss.

Can’t get enough science / new ways to think? Try these C2BC Classics: Chronolog & Time-Lapse Curiosity, with Ky Wildermuth; The Dr. T Project & Things Worth Knowing, with Shawkat Toorawa; Curiosity & Nature Journaling, with John Muir Laws; Making Sense: Curiosity & Smell, with Venkatesh Murthy; and Curiosity & Creating Sense in a World of Nonsense, with Saul Perlmutter.

Theme music by Sean Balick; “Lumber Down” by Barstool, via Blue Dot Sessions.

You can subscribe to Choose to Be Curious on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.