What are some books I should read if I want to expand my general knowledge?Not that I want to become a polymath, but...Actually, let's say that I do.What would you recommend to someone who wanted to learn as much as possible about as many things as possible.Are there perhaps one of those "/lit/ lists" for such books on various topics?I feel like it'd be easy to waste time looking for good books or waste it on reading bad ones when dealing with this.The old books carry the risk of being scientifically inaccurate, while the newer ones are more likely to be censored or straight up cash grabs that merely regurgitate basic knowledge ("x for dummies" and the like).Of course, philosophy is separate from this issue, but let's exclude it as a topic from the discussion because the classics are well established already and studying various philosophical outlooks is most often contradictory and a waste of time unless you are particularly devoted to the "philosophers pursuit".
Shut the fuck up and lurk more, faggot
>>24912495Go kill yourself you pretentious baboon.I've been lurking for years and posting for double that, so don't give me that newfag gatekeeping attitude unless you're going to recommend a worthwhile book alongside it.
>>24912490Wissenschaftslehre>the Science of Knowledge has no aid, no substrate of its contemplation, except that contemplation itself, it can elevate the human mind to a higher degree than any geometry can do. It gives to the mind not only attentiveness, ability and firmness, but at the same time absolute self-reliance, by forcing it to be alone with itself, and to live and rule within itself. All other mental labor is comparatively an infinitely easy task; and he who has practice in that science, finds no task difficult. Add to this, that by penetrating all objects of human knowledge into their very centre, it accustoms the eye to seize the true central point in everything which may occur to it, and steadily to pursue this point. Hence, for a practised teacher of the Science of Knowledge, there is nothing difficult, confused or dark, provided he knows the object under consideration. It is always an easy task for him to build up everything anew and from the very beginning, carrying as he does within him the outlines for every scientific structure, and an easy task to get a clear view of the most intricate science.
>>24912490Russell Popper Kuhn Lakatos Feyerabend Moynihan Land Class-warfare
>>24912490If you want a well-rounded education, dont forget including logic and basic mathematics. Propositional calculus, first order logic, naive set theory and linear algebra at least. This is the modern equivalent of reading Euclid, every serious intellectual in the western world read Euclid for the past 2000 years and people only stopped doing that because the intellectual standard sadly lowered.>“Unless one has exercised one’s mind seriously at the gymnasium of mathematics one is incapable of precise thought, which amounts to saying that one is good for nothing.”—Simone Weil
It is a monumental task, but it's about the journey.
>>24912503So in all those years you have learned nothing and still need to make a garbage thread like this?
>>24912709Thanks for the bump ;*
You want to expand your general knowledge, and also exclude philosophy? These two things are diametrically opposed. The trajectory of philosophy is fundamental to all other fields, even mathematics.
>>24912828I don't want to exclude philosophy entirely, however other subjects take precedence due to my tastes.I also already have a good handle on the "must reads" and various schools of thought that I am currently satisfied with. Can't say the same for all the other subjects I'd potentially be interested in learning about like medicine, biology, mathematics, astronomy, technology etc etc
Just watch Jeopardy and read trivia books.
>>24912877That's just surface-level knowledge useful insofar as providing idle conversation topics.
>>24912653Do you have any specific books with which to study this beginning to end?
>>24912490I think Diplomacy by Kissinger is a great introduction to the subject. I also appreciate his writing style, academic but not byzantine. I don't think how he writes is award winning but if someone was trying to learn how write he is the person I would suggest they emulate.
How useful is this one in reaching OP's goal?
>>24912899Yes, i know of some proof-based linear algebra books like the one by Robert Valenza which technically includes the four subjects, but the logic and set theory are compressed into a preliminary "chapter 0", so it is better to learn logic elsewhere, and there are too many options. Valenza could be too abstract for a first read, so Stanley Grossman is good for intuition before trying Valenza again.
>>24912702Don't do this shit, this list this list was culled by some angloid retard and its just a mix of ''great authors''. This list ignores all the Spanish and American tradition except from Cervantes, for example. In terms of literature, just read whatever you feel like and drop it if you don't like it, but always read something. The path is just going to be clear on the road. I recommend you start reading Borges' short stories and then see what you like.
>>24912899>>24913036I really dont know what logic book to recommend because for your intentions it should have a good balance of philosphical/informal logic and formal/mathematical logic. Anyway, try reading "Naive Set Theory" by Paul Halmos and if you find it too abstract try keep studying linear algebra until it clicks. From Halmos you would only need the first 13 or 14 chapters, each one fairly short.
>>24913043It is certainly not just a mix of great of authors. It is in chronological order and gives you the full context of human thought. >It ignores Spanish and American tradition Oh NO!
>>24913043Also it simply doesn't avoid America. I don't know why you're saying that.
>>24912490>>24912863>Can't say the same for all the other subjects I'd potentially be interested in learning about like medicine, biology, mathematics, astronomy, technology etc etcI suppose you know every polymath who have ever lived started with the greeks(and thus philosophy), do you? I mean literally the first polymath we had was Aristotle, who studied all the fields you cited here, and he as a priori a philosopher. This is what philosophy is, after all, pursuit for knowledge. It's what you should first learn.
>>24913435Fine, fine.It's not like I planned to exclude philosophy entirely, but like I said, I don't really need recommendations. I've lurked for long enough to know who to start with and what I should definitely read.And I have read some of them already.However I felt like that if I didn't specify that I didn't need philosophy recommendations this thread would be filled with people talking about their favorite philosophers, others arguing why they're retarded, then putting forth their own pipe-gurgling nobody, repeat ad infinitum. I've seen this dance a million times before.Meanwhile good book recommendations in all of the other fields are harder to come by.
>>24913863before pre-algebra is elementary school math, I don't suppose you need recommendations for those'the art of problem solving' series will get you from pre-algebra through single-variable calculuspast that, or for specialist stuff, I would ask /sci/
fpbp
>>24912490OP posts photo of useless asshole. Therefore anything they say is useless, asshole.
>>24912490Unironically read books that are about things you don't agree with.
>>24914231I literally have no idea who the guy in picrel is, I just thought it looked cool.>>24914286I'm not really sure how that applies in terms of acquiring knowledge. More so in changing my outlook, etc. Not exactly what I'm looking for. Also, unless it's a complete useless shitpiece like one of those "contemporary asian-american literature--billion bestseller awards" I don't have a problem reading authors who I disagree with or characters with opposite viewpoints (unless they're really unlikeable).
The author of How to Read a Book also wrote on becoming a lifelong learner (the closest a contemporary person can be to polymath practice)
>>24912490For occult knowledge I would recomend the Dolores Cannon books.
