How to develop erudition as an adult. Increasing erudition in an adult

We all admire erudite people. How to become the same? The answer is simple - read more!

But you won’t be able to stay within your favorite genre. If you want to become erudite, you need to force yourself to explore the unknown shelves of bookstores.

Here are 14 timeless books covering a wide range of topics: politics, science, history, culture and more.

1. Classic: George Orwell, "1984"

George Orwell wrote this anti-communist novel in 1948, describing life in London 36 years later. He predicted a totalitarian state where the government, "Big Brother", is always watching everyone and dictating to a person what to say and what to think.

Some of his predictions have come true - for example, there are cameras everywhere in our cities, and we are searched from time to time to make sure that we do not have weapons on us.

This book is a must read - it talks about the consequences of giving the government too much control over citizens and their lives.

2. Pop culture: JK Rowling, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

If you haven't read this or the next six books in the Harry Potter series, run to the bookstore.

The novel is about a boy who discovers on his 11th birthday that he is a wizard and goes to study at Hogwarts School of Wizardry.

3. Pop Culture: John Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings

4. History: Anne Frank, “Refuge. Diary in letters"

5. Science: Charles Darwin, On the Origin of Species

The work on the theory of evolution revolutionized science and became cornerstone modern biology.

Even if you do not agree with Darwin's theory, you still need to read the book - just for self-education.

And if the evolutionary view is close to you, it is even more worth reading “The Origin of Species” to better understand the theory.

6. Science: Stephen Hawking, A Brief History of Time

This book by the famous theoretical physicist and cosmologist was published in 1988.

In it, Hawking offers a clear explanation of modern scientific concepts - time travel, general theory relativity and the history of the creation of the Universe.

7. Science: Bill Bryson, A Brief History of Almost Everything

Interestingly, the author is not a scientist. He was just very curious and decided that he wanted to understand science, and then he wrote this book to make the path easier for his followers.

8. Philosophy: Sun Tzu, “The Art of War”

"The Art of War" was written in the 5th century BC. e., but remains relevant today.

The author is the military strategist Sun Tzu, and his work was a textbook on military affairs. But over time, people have discovered that the techniques described in the book are useful in times of peace, and the recommendations to “know yourself” and “know your enemy” help to achieve success in a variety of situations.

The book contains 13 chapters describing various aspects of military affairs, and the valuable advice of the ancient commander is used today by sports coaches, lawyers and entire corporations.

9. Philosophy: Robert Pirsig, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”

This book helps you understand and use real life philosophical concepts. It tells the story of a father and son who travel through the American northwest on a motorcycle.

There's a ton of timeless advice here to help you live a more fulfilling and happy life.

10. Art: William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet

The plot of this play revolves around two young lovers whose families are at odds with each other. The story of forbidden love has become a vital part of world culture.

11. Technology: Walter Isaacson, "Steve Jobs"

This fascinating biography is based on years of work, personal interviews with Steve Jobs and more than a hundred of his acquaintances: family members, friends and colleagues.

The book, written by Isaacson at the request of Jobs, explains why the Apple co-founder was so magnetic and intimidating at the same time, and tells the story of how Apple and Pixar were built and how they became the huge companies we know today.

This is an inside look at the tech industry, a source of inspiration that can help you rethink a lot of things, and a fascinating story about life most interesting person.

12. Psychology: David McRaney, "You're Not That Smart"

This book shows that, without realizing it, we are always under the influence of certain psychological attitudes, and it is impossible to get rid of this influence, no matter how hard you try.

His investment philosophy teaches you to make informed decisions that can bring significant profits in the long term.

The word erudition denotes broad awareness and comprehensive knowledge; it has Latin roots. This concept is often confused with the concept of education, however, these words cannot be called synonyms. An erudite person is always educated, but not every educated person can boast high level erudition. A true erudite will never stop there; he will not draw knowledge from teaching aids, but from a wide variety of sources. Many people would like to show off their erudition, but how can it be improved?

Useful tips for increasing your level of erudition

It is simply impossible to become an erudite person just to demonstrate diverse knowledge. To become a true scholar, you must show a sincere interest in various issues. To broaden their horizons, first of all, scholars turn to the information they receive from books. After all, books are the sources of wisdom for all humanity. But, it should be noted that books are different from each other, so cheap detective stories or pulp novels will not be useful, and will also not provide valuable food for thought. If you really want to improve your erudition, then you need to resort to the help of more serious literature. Read foreign and Russian classics, monographs and scientific research, as well as autobiographies of personalities interesting to you.

The moment in which you read these very books is extremely important, because... Increasing your level of erudition will largely depend not on the number of books you read, but on the quality of your reading. Try to read more thoughtfully, while rethinking everything the author says. And if you are interested in some quote, then do not be lazy and write it down for the future. And over time, you will notice how your horizons develop, you will have new topics for conversation, and also your vocabulary– will expand significantly.

One more innovative method films increase the level of erudition. Naturally, not every product, especially modern cinematography, is capable of increasing your intelligence even a little. Nowadays, a lot of high-quality films are being made about physical phenomena, nature, history, outstanding personalities, etc. Systematic viewing of programs of this nature will have a beneficial effect on your horizons. And in the field of art cinema, you can turn to art-house films for knowledge. A quality art-house film is filled with valuable quotes, and the philosophical meaning will push you to think.

Reading time: 2 min

Erudition is a concept that reflects the breadth of knowledge and multifaceted education. Developed erudition is manifested by a deep understanding of many things and finding relationships between various areas life. Erudites (those who have developed this quality at a fairly high level) are constantly engaged in expanding the range of their knowledge and deepening their existing ideas about the world. Thus, this is not only a superficial awareness of events taking place in the world and discoveries in the past and present, but also a deep understanding of these processes. We can say that an erudite is a specialist in several fields at once.

Erudition is not innate, and the level of its development depends solely on the efforts made by a person to constantly acquire new knowledge. This quality is directly related to education and has virtually no connection with the level of intellectual development.

But the concepts of education and erudition are not identical, since in relation to erudition there is a person’s internal need for constant development and overcoming his rudeness or lack of knowledge, while simply education does not provide this internal motivation. Knowledge can be obtained without, and with further choices, development stops, then erudition forces you to look for sources and opportunities to increase your level, regardless of your baggage. Erudition is an independent orientation that forces a person to engage in self-education, read books on topics of interest and go beyond training courses.

What is it

It cannot be said that some people have erudition and others do not. In this case, it is appropriate to consider the level of its development and implementation in various fields. There is an opportunity to increase the level of erudition, but the level can also decrease if you do not make additional efforts. This does not mean that once acquired knowledge will be forgotten or become irrelevant, but over time its relevance may be lost or some theory may be refuted - erudition is the ability to track dynamic changes. In addition, the level of erudition that is considered quite high for a fifth-grader will no longer be sufficient for the head of a company. Similar examples occur quite often when, after a lot of praise, a person stops engaging in his own development and remains at the same level without development.

Developed erudition arises only with the constant absorption of new information, and it should concern not only a narrow professional sphere, but also take into account aspects of many global life topics. Of course, this is a process of education, but not a fixed one. educational institutions and additional courses, but a more independent contribution to what is happening. This can be expressed in reading not one, but various sources, and optimally opposing opinions. This also includes an active creative interest in other areas. So a person can study to become an architect, take language courses, read historical literature and become interested in plumbing work. His level of erudition will be significantly higher than that of an architect who has a deep understanding of his field, but does not go beyond it.

How to develop it

The development of erudition becomes a pressing issue modern society, since earlier emphasis was placed on highly specialized training, as a result of which an individual person is often unable to solve, and sometimes even understand, any everyday tasks that are not within his circle of competence. In addition to the global trend, the development of erudition is relevant on an individual basis. personal level, since such a person can support almost any communication, quickly finds ways out of various life situations, and is also more productive creatively, since he can synthesize many aspects at once.

The first assistant in the development of erudition is considered to be reading a wide variety of literature in large quantities. This does not include novels of the same type that are forgotten a day after reading; we are talking about works and popular science literature that require analysis.

It is important not to devour books, trying to tick as many boxes as possible, but to read them with quality. There is no point in reading a hundred that cannot be remembered in a year, but one book, fully analyzed on several levels, can be more useful. The information received can be systematized, recorded, discussed with friends - than more people interacts with new knowledge, the better and deeper it is assimilated.

Literature should be selected from different industries - this helps to expand the range of topics that are accessible to understanding. For example, books on psychology will help you understand people, and various works on physics will increase your understanding of the structure of the world.

Many books help self-research, for which you can start a separate notebook or find suitable trainings where you can deepen your research. When faced with new information, the perception of the world changes, so an important point is to constantly correlate what you read with what your personal life is like at the moment. at the moment. Not from memory, to know that some things were pleasant, while others were uninteresting, and each time you analyze your inner world for changes. Choose scientific literature, since reading, even in large volumes of social network feeds, does not always have the desired effect. In order for Facebook and Telegram to be useful, you should carefully filter your subscriptions and monitor not only the variety of topics, but also the quality of the content.

Cinema is an excellent way to develop erudition, provided that the films are selected on a variety of topics and interesting directions. Comedies with rude humor and action films without any plot are more aimed at evoking different emotions, but historical films can break new ground. Biographical films based on real events. There are many short and arthouse films designed to show the unusual side of life, to reveal new facets and understandings.

How to Raise Broad Awareness

The general level of awareness is directly influenced by your social circle. The more time a person spends in contact with others, the more information he learns, and its assimilation is much easier than if he were forced to read the same facts. However, if you surround yourself only with artists, you get a set of approximately the same topics and events. Therefore, it is necessary to strive to be surrounded by various people with multifaceted interests, and of course their level of knowledge in any topic should be higher than your own.

An important point in any development is interest, and regarding erudition, it plays a paramount role. It is impossible to remember information that is both not needed for work and not interesting personally. Therefore, even choosing for study something that is not entirely clear and interesting topic, it is worth organizing the whole process in advance in such a way as to periodically tone up passion. An interesting company that will not allow you to abandon training or a system of self-reward for achieving certain levels is perfect for this.

Choose a hobby instead of watching TV in the evening. In order for classes to free time brought benefits, you need to formulate a certain approach. For example, learning a language will have a greater impact on the development of general erudition if you directly communicate with people from different countries, via Skype or other programs, than just learning a dictionary. Collecting, which involves learning the history of each thing or the culture of the country where it was made, turns the accumulation of things into a developing personal process.

The facts that a person learns must be shared and discussed with friends, especially if there are disagreements and controversy arises. The brain is designed in such a way that the more we explain to others the structure of something, the more we ourselves begin to understand what we share.

It is also useful to consider any new information from various sides - this is what develops broad opportunities for knowledge. For example, having learned about the structure of a technical device, you can fill in the gaps regarding who invented it and when, and then study the biography of this person. Any new information brings with it new opportunities for study - the main thing is to notice them and criticize them.

The more critical your thinking is, the broader your horizons become. Not to take things for granted, but to look for why exactly this is so, not to learn a theorem, but to watch its proof - expands awareness and makes life more interesting.

Speaker of the Medical and Psychological Center "PsychoMed"

Intelligence - the general level of everyone cognitive abilities person. Its indicators are learning ability, the degree of development of analytical abilities and imagination, and quality various types memory.

The level of general erudition is directly related to the level of intellectual development, since only a person who is able to effectively assimilate and process new information, remember for a long time and, most importantly, be able to then use this information can become erudite.

After all, one can hardly call an erudite a person whose knowledge is extensive and versatile, but at the same time unsystematic and not ordered.

This section contains materials about theories concerning human intelligence and erudition, tests to determine the level of intelligence, exercises to test your erudition, and recommendations for their development.

In 2015, an experiment was conducted where subjects tried to determine a person’s IQ level from a photograph. If in the situation with the guys everything was clear: for the most part, people guessed it correctly, then in the case of the girls it’s not so simple. The majority attributed higher intelligence to pretty girls, and underestimated the “simple girls.” The result was amazing.

Before you keep your child busy during the holidays with something, you need to decide on the goal. This could be health improvement, relaxation, work or something else. It is important to take into account the character and individual preferences of the child and not force him to do something that is uninteresting or difficult for him. In addition, employment will help protect children from the negative influence of the street, where they can hang around...

Rhythm modern life day by day it becomes so fast that the most important and valuable skill of every person is the ability to competently and rationally manage time. Everyone can do this, but not everyone can boast of the absence of “rush jobs” at work and “blockages” at home. And if it seems that 24 hours fly by in a flash, but work doesn’t...

Board games- this is a wonderful opportunity to spend time away from computer monitors or televisions. Not only children of any age, but also their parents gather for an exciting activity. More and more new offers from representatives of the toy industry are appearing on sale, from the variety of which it is not easy to choose the best “board games” for children.

Every parent knows very well how difficult it is sometimes to force a child to study. There are many reasons for this: from banal childhood restlessness to too much school workload. Children are especially reluctant to learn things that they do not understand. These include the multiplication table. Incomprehensible combinations of numbers confuse children, and it is no easier for children to concentrate their attention on them than for any adult...

The intelligence of the future is cognition and creativity in human life. Modern scientific research, forecasts of scientists, methods of development (reading books, trainings, courses, independent research of problems and much more) and the importance of intelligence in people's lives. Possibility to download thematic presentations.

What is emotional intelligence? Role emotional intelligence in people's lives. Why people with high IQs don't always succeed in life. Factors contributing to the development of emotional intelligence. Possibility to download thematic presentation.

How many wars has humanity survived? How to measure beauty? What do laughter and a grimace of displeasure have in common?

You will find a hundred clear explanations of a variety of things in this book. Its author is a professor at the Department of Psychophysiology at Nizhny Novgorod State University. N.I. Lobachevsky, presenter researcher at the Institute of Applied Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Antonets.

From the book:

Can the sound of your name affect how you are perceived?

Russian philologist Vladimir Zhuravlev found that the messages contained in the sound of words in the modern Russian language can be assessed using 25 emotional antonymous comparisons: “good - bad”, “joyful - sad”, “safe - scary”, “simple - complex” and others.

After conducting research with a large number of people, Zhuravlev was able to establish what subconscious rating each sound has on what scale.

Nowadays it’s easy to find clues on the Internet about what impression your name leaves. For example, Nikolai is handsome and safe, Kolya is good, and Kolyan is good, kind and handsome. An analysis of the poems and illustrations for them showed that poets intuitively follow phonosemantic rules and that there are also sound-color relationships that are also observed in the language.

Beauty squared

Most people think that mathematics is too abstract and far from real life. Not so!

Have you heard about a mathematical theory that helps simplify the search for a life partner? Can you guess how exponential growth is related to the catastrophes that threaten humanity? Do you realize that the numbers in a company logo influence your purchases? From the book by mathematician and philosopher Alex Bellos you will learn about this and much more. Read in one go!

From the book:

A Warning to Humanity

Physics professor Albert Bartlett has been giving his famous lecture "Arithmetic, Population and Energy" since 1969. Each time he begins it by declaring in a foreboding tone: “The greatest flaw of the human race is its inability to understand the essence of exponential growth.”

Exponential growth occurs when a quantity continually increases in proportion to its value, for example by doubling: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64...

Imagine a bottle of bacteria whose numbers double every minute. At 11:00 there is one bacteria in the bottle, and by 12:00 the bottle will be completely filled with bacteria. “If you were an ordinary bacterium living in this bottle,” Bartlett asks, “at what point in time would you realize that there was about to be no free space left?” Amazingly, at 11:55 the bottle appears almost empty: it is only 3 percent full.

Bartlett's bottle is a warning to the inhabitants of the Earth. If the planet's population increases exponentially, there will be no free space left much faster than it seems.

Game theory

Do you want to delight others with your insight? Learn to think strategically and emerge victorious from any situation? This book is written especially for you.

From the book:

Less is better

You might think it's always good to have more options. But if you think strategically, narrowing down your options can be more rewarding.

Thomas Schelling writes in his book about how the Athenian commander Xenophon fought with his back to a deep gorge. He deliberately chose such a position so that his soldiers would not have the opportunity to retreat. Their backs became stiff in that battle, but they won.

Likewise, Cortés sank his ships after arriving in Mexico. The Aztecs could retreat deep into their territory, and Cortez's soldiers had no opportunity for escape or retreat. By making defeat even more disastrous than it would have been on its own, Cortés increased his chances of victory - and won.

Psychology

Psychology is one of the most interesting human sciences, and now it has become accessible to everyone. To better understand yourself and other people, you don't need to read written complex language works of scientists.

This book explains the theory so simply and engagingly that in just a couple of days you will be able to advise your friends. Paul Kleinman will help you understand the key ideas of psychology, the concepts of Freud, Fromm, Rorschach and other researchers.

From the book:

Social phobia

Social phobia is one of the most common types of anxiety disorder; Its symptoms affect nearly 13 percent of the world's population at some point in time.

A person suffering from social phobia is constantly worried about how others perceive him. Such people experience an irrational fear that someone treats them badly or evaluates them negatively, and also that they do not appear to others at their best.

Social phobia should not be confused with excessive shyness, since the former is accompanied by persistent and very serious symptoms of an emotional and physical nature: trembling, increased sweating, rapid heartbeat, severe nervousness in situations of communication with strangers, fear of being underestimated, anxiety about the possibility of being humiliated , excessive anxiety due to the fact that others will notice the patient’s anxiety, fear of pre-planned events, etc.

Naked statistics

Our world is generating huge amounts of data faster and faster. However, as The New York Times rightly noted, “data is just the raw material of knowledge.” Statistics are the most powerful tools we have at our disposal. practical use information.

In this book Charles Whelan gives many answers interesting questions: how to calculate the number of homeless people in a metropolis, why casinos are always in the black, how globalization affects poor people and others.

From the book:

Forecast police

In the 2002 film Minority Report, Tom Cruise plays a crime-stopping detective. His hero is an employee of a certain bureau that uses certain technology to predict crimes before they are committed. And this is no longer fantasy.

In 2011, The New York Times published an article entitled: “Police are on the scene before a crime is committed.” It said that special computer program predicted a high probability of car thefts that day in an underground parking lot located in the business district of the city of Santa Cruz.

When detectives got there, they found two women staring too closely into the car windows. One of them has been repeatedly detained for theft, and the other was found in possession of illegal drugs.

The system used in Santa Cruz was developed by two mathematicians, an anthropologist and a criminologist. The Chicago Police Department has created an entire unit of forecasting analysts. Part of its formation was due to the fact that the gangs that terrorized the city acted according to certain patterns.

Interstellar. Science behind the scenes

Before filming Interstellar, consulting scientist Kip Thorne offered the director two simple rules. First: nothing in the film should contradict the generally accepted laws of physics or reliable knowledge about the world. Second: all speculation must be scientifically supported.

If you still have questions after watching, then Kip Thorne’s book about the curvature of space and time, black holes, gravity and other mysteries of the Universe will help answer them.

From the book:

Time Warp

The main character of the film"Interstellar" Cooper is worried that he will no longer see his daughter Murph, because, being near Gargantua, he ages only a few hours, whereas years pass on Earth. How to explain this?

Back in 1912, Einstein realized that massive bodies can bend time and this curvature is the cause of gravity. The greater the time dilation, the stronger the gravitational attraction. And at the surface of a black hole, where time hardly moves, gravity is so enormous that even light cannot overcome it.

The theory was confirmed when Robert Wessoth of Harvard used a NASA rocket to lift the atomic clock 10,000 kilometers and, using radio signals, compared its time with the clocks that remained on Earth. It turned out that time on Earth flows about 30 microseconds per day slower than at an altitude of 10,000 kilometers.

Economics of everything

The dean of the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University explains how economics influences various social processes.

By reading this book you will learn moreabout the structure of the state and understand why we are faced with certain forces of social friction, for what reasons perfection is unattainable, what is social capital, the problem of the freeloader, as well as the British disease and red sclerosis, what dilemma the elites face in Russia and much more.

From the book:

Do we need a state?

Not only in Russian, but also in the world public consciousness, there were many myths associated with the state. And at some point these myths began to be tested. For example, all the great British economists gave the same example: if it were not for the government, who would build lighthouses in England? But the nation needs lighthouses - what would England be without shipping?

Economist Ronald Coase went to the British Admiralty archives and began to look at who actually built the lighthouses. It turned out that not a single lighthouse in England was built by the government. Whoever built them - captains' guilds, local communities, shipowner corporations, but not the government.

Then Friedrich von Hayek checked how things were going with monetary systems. It turned out that different states in different times created their own treasury systems of monetary notes, but they all died. Banknotes The ones we use now are the so-called banknotes, that is, systems of private receipts between banks. They began to look at the police, the fire department, the army, and again there were mixed answers.

The conclusion that can be drawn from all this is this: if the state is needed, it is not for what it was previously thought to be for. The state has substitutes everywhere.

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