Re: Improving general knowledge
 

Modern marvels is a fun show. I like the history channel in general.

Re: Improving general knowledge
 

[ QUOTE ]
Two words: modern marvels. I also do the mp3 thing, I d/l podcasts, streaming media, etc on subjects Im interested in, and listen to them while driving.

[/ QUOTE ]any links?

Re: Improving general knowledge
 

That is a fantastic post you have written Blarg. Thanks!

I've started reading Hamlet and Dante's Divine Comedy in the past, but I felt I was getting ahead of myself a bit and wasn't ready for that kind of literature.

The Bible and a book Plato's work sound like they could be a good start. I guess I don't need more than that at the time, because I like your thought on not spreading myself out too thin but instead building a solid foundation.

Do you think those books are a good start or would you start in some other end?

I understand that this will take several years, and I'm ok with that. I like to read and learn, it's just that I haven't read much about humanities and culture. It's not that I haven't found it interesting, I have, it is only that it has felt very distant. I hope I'll liking reading more and at a faster pace about these areas, and if I do, then I expect to probably keep it up to some degree as long as I live.

Currently I feel most interested in a historical overview so maybe I should start with that perspective. I made a search for John Keegan. He seems to have written some great works on wars, but maybe I should start with an even wider resource where I can try to form a picture of how our societies have evolved and the problems and wars along the way. Do you have a general history book that you think is vivid, engaging and memorable that you would recommend? Do you think that would be a good start?

Again I want to say I really liked you post.

Re: Improving general knowledge
 

Read a book. Rinse/repeat.

Re: Improving general knowledge
 

Just one suggestion: Western Civilization seems like plenty on its own, but I really encourage you to delve into the East as well. Both for its own sake and for its deep relationship with the West.

Q. Where does East meet West?
A. The Middle East
Q. Where do misunderstanding, confusion and chaos reign?
A. Hmmm...

P.S. I was watching the History Channel about ancient weapons, right? And the Chinese had these dragon-shaped missiles they would fire from ships. And then when the missiles got close to the other ships, they would fire arrows from their mouths! How [censored] cool is that?!?

Re: Improving general knowledge
 

I don't know if I'd try reading the Bible unless you were interested in Christianity, i.e. wanting to become a Christian. If you're reading it just to know stuff, you'd be better off reading a book about the Bible. Kenneth C. Davis has a series of books called "Don't Know Much About...", and he has one on the Bible. I'd check that out first, then go back and read any passages in the Bible that sound interesting to you from reading Davis's book. Otherwise, you're gonna be reading a ton of material that will do little or nothing to improve your general knowledge, unless you want to memorize genealogies or the dimensions of Solomon's Temple.

Re: Improving general knowledge
 

I'd really recommend "A History of Thought and Invention, from Fire to Freud" by Peter Watson. It's not an easy read, but it is definitely wide and spans from the prehistoric ages to the beginning of the 1900's. It deals more with the evolution of society and technology, not so much with wars and politics. Also contains a lot of other sources so if you find something you really want to read more into you can just go check where it came from.

Re: Improving general knowledge
 

If you are truely interested in bettering yourself (in a knowledge point of view). I suggest this: Read the book "The Prince" by Machiavelli. Make sure you read one chapter a week, and every week you read the chapter, really let it soak in and absorb it, and think about it. If you read it this way you will see what a truely life changing book this is.

Re: Improving general knowledge
 

History of Western Philosophy (Bertrand Russell).

The Western Canon (Harold Bloom).

The Story of Art (Ernst Gombrich).

These are pretty Euro-centric, but they should get you started.

Re: Improving general knowledge
 

[ QUOTE ]
Anytime I become curious about something or just don't know it, I look it up online if I'm on the computer at the moment.

[/ QUOTE ]I do this wikipedia at least 3 times a week.