The Art of Exploration — Why We Seek New Challenges and Search Out the Unknown

The Art of Manliness

Society & Culture, Education, Philosophy

4.7 • 14.5K Ratings

🗓️ 25 March 2025

⏱️ 54 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The human urge to explore has taken us to every corner of the planet. From the highest peaks to far-flung islands to even the deepest dimensions of an idea, our species has an innate drive to venture into the unknown. But what exactly drives this need to explore? Is it genetic, cognitive, or something else entirely? Here to unpack this question is Alex Hutchinson, author of The Explorers Gene: Why We Seek Big Challenges, New Flavors, and the Blank Spots on the Map. Today on the show, Alex shares the fascinating science behind our exploratory tendencies, from the dopamine-driven "explorer's gene" that varies across populations to the universal cognitive frameworks that govern how we navigate both physical and mental landscapes. He explains the delicate balance between exploring new possibilities and exploiting what we already know, and why we sometimes find meaning in difficult challenges. We also discuss why younger people explore more than older people do, how this decline in exploration doesn't have to be inevitable, and how to keep exploring throughout your entire life.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Brett McKay here and welcome to another edition of the Art of Manliness podcast.
0:11.6	The human urge to explore has taken us to every corner of the planet.
0:15.5	From the highest peaks, the far-fling islands, to even the deepest dimensions of an idea,
0:19.7	our species has an innate drive
0:21.2	to venture into the unknown. What's behind this need to explore? Is it genetic, cognitive,
0:26.5	or something else entirely? Here to unpack this question is Alex Hutchinson, author of The Explorer's
0:31.8	Gene, why we seek big challenges, new flavors, and the blank spots on the map.
0:36.6	Today on the show, Alex shares the fascinating science behind our exploratory tendencies,
0:40.9	from the dopamine-driven explorers gene that varies across populations,
0:44.3	to the universal cognitive frameworks that govern how we navigate both physical and mental landscapes.
0:49.4	He explains the delicate balance between exploring new possibilities and exploiting what we already know
0:53.7	and why we sometimes find meaning and difficult challenges. We also discuss why younger people
0:58.1	explore more than older people do, how this decline in exploration doesn't have to be an inevitability,
1:03.1	and how to keep exploring throughout your entire life. After the show is over, check at our
1:06.7	show notes at a.com.is slash explorer.
1:23.6	All right, Alex Hutchinson, welcome back to the show.
1:25.5	Thanks, Brett. It's great to be back.
1:28.8	So you got a new book out called The Explorers, Gene,
1:34.8	why we seek big challenges, new flavors, and the blank spots on the map. I've known you,
1:40.0	and I'm sure a lot of our listeners know you as the endurance and running guy, but something I didn't know about you is that you also enjoy backpacking, but you like to backpack in really, really remote places.
1:47.4	What's been the most remote trip you've been on? That's a good question. And I should clarify that I'm not
1:52.1	a real exploring guy. I don't go like parasailing to the South Pole or anything like that, but I definitely
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