Question

How to Cultivate Knowledge

Answer 1

{this is a tutorial not a question please do not reply}

Answer 2

Being well-informed in a variety of subjects will give you an advantage in your academic studies, personal life, and professional career. However, it can be difficult to create a plan of independent study because of the infinite wealth of information in the world. I hope to provide some methodology to guide your pursuit of knowledge.

Answer 3

I have identified 8 broad areas of study [this is subject to change]. The goal is not to memorize as many things as possible, but to build a working knowledge base in these areas for thoughtful discussion and problem-solving.

Art & Music
Language & Culture
Science & Technology
Social Sciences & Personal Skills
Politics & Government
Mathematics & Logic
Reading Comprehension & Writing

Answer 4

There is a misconception that smart people just read lots of books and absorb knowledge like a sponge. For one, there are many ways to gain knowledge other than reading books, such as listening to knowledgeable people, immersing yourself in challenging new environments, and learning from personal trial and error. Second, you must be selective with your materials of study; choose material that requires active thought instead of what is popular and easily digested.

Answer 5

Every field of study has several key principles, works, and people associated with it. For example, if I wanted to start building my knowledge base in psychology, I would start by learning what psychology is (the study of thought and behavior), some of the key concepts and theories (intelligence is a set of skills and aptitudes but is valued and measured in a variety of psychosocial and cultural contexts), and some of the most famous figures associated with psychology (Wilhelm Wundt, William James, Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, John Watson, to name a few).

Answer 6

You’ll learn the material better if you find other ways besides just sitting down and reading a textbook (which can be dry). You can listen to audiobooks, go to lectures/seminars, and watch videos. Also, I would recommend taking notes – you don’t have to study them rigorously like you would for a class, but the simple act of writing things down helps you organize your thoughts and pinpoint what is really important.

Answer 7

Your approach here should be a bit different than studying for a class. You should focus on how your knowledge is applicable to the real world, and how it ties in with other subjects you are studying. Don't lose sight of the big picture.

Answer 8

My main suggestion to make this process easier is to cut the time you spend on mindless entertainment like watching TV, playing video games, and checking social media. These activities consume time and do not yield any useful output. You can still do these things occasionally but also try to have hobbies that are productive, marketable, and skills-based (art, writing, music, athletics, coding, etc.)

Answer 9

So my motivation for writing this guide is partly to help me with my performance in my university's academic bowl team. ^~^ Academic Bowl/Quiz Bowl is an academic, team-based competition between schools in a series of trivia questions (not your typical surface-level party game trivia questions, but challenging questions about literature, history, philosophy, mathematics, science, art, and more!) I recommend trying it out sometime, it's super fun and you get to meet some of the most interesting, intelligent people there. ^.^