I have a strong desire to comprehend stuff

[Splendour]

Coberst you might find some of these links relevant to your original post:
http://www.livescience.com/health/07...ds_memory.html

http://www.livescience.com/health/05...ciousness.html

Edit: had to add this too
http://www.livescience.com/health/050120_brain_sex.html

[coberst]

Splendour

You world view is very interesting. I guess we all must perceive our world in a way that is meaningful to us. I suspect that is part of why communication becomes so difficult.

Thanks for the references.

[BuddyQ]

[ QUOTE ]
When I read I almost always read non fiction. I have tried to read fiction and to learn from reading what is considered to be good literature. However, my effort to read good literature fails because I thing that learning by reading good literature is a very inefficient means for gaining knowledge and understanding. I claim that I can acquire more knowledge in one hour by reading non fiction than I can while reading good literature for ten hours. That is, I claim that learning by reading non fiction is ten times more efficient than learning by reading fiction, i.e. good literature. Do you agree that acquiring knowledge by reading non fiction is ten times as efficient as from reading fiction?

[/ QUOTE ]

Depends.

1 hour with a novel by say, Kurt Vonnegut, F. Scott Fitzgerald, or Tom Wolfe, etc.. > 20 Hours with some non-fiction by say, Kevin Trudeau, or AL Gore, Newt Gingrich, ghost written JFK, Margaret Mead, etc..

1 hour with non-fiction by say, Joseph Campbell, Frank McCourt, Elie Wiesel, etc.. > 20 hours with say, some novel by Scott Turow, Dean Koontz, etc..

[madnak]

[ QUOTE ]
Depends.

1 hour with a novel by say, Kurt Vonnegut, F. Scott Fitzgerald, or Tom Wolfe, etc.. > 20 Hours with some non-fiction by say, Kevin Trudeau, or AL Gore, Newt Gingrich, ghost written JFK, Margaret Mead, etc..

1 hour with non-fiction by say, Joseph Campbell, Frank McCourt, Elie Wiesel, etc.. > 20 hours with say, some novel by Scott Turow, Dean Koontz, etc..

[/ QUOTE ]

He's talking about "good literature," which is >>> non-fiction. And don't tell him to read Campbell, can you even imagine him on Campbell?

[BuddyQ]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Depends.

1 hour with a novel by say, Kurt Vonnegut, F. Scott Fitzgerald, or Tom Wolfe, etc.. > 20 Hours with some non-fiction by say, Kevin Trudeau, or AL Gore, Newt Gingrich, ghost written JFK, Margaret Mead, etc..

1 hour with non-fiction by say, Joseph Campbell, Frank McCourt, Elie Wiesel, etc.. > 20 hours with say, some novel by Scott Turow, Dean Koontz, etc..

[/ QUOTE ]

He's talking about "good literature," which is >>> non-fiction. And don't tell him to read Campbell, can you even imagine him on Campbell?

[/ QUOTE ]

Worked wonders for me. [img]/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

[madnak]

You aren't coberst. Campbell's ideas are insightful, but half-baked. Exactly the kind of thing to fuel coberst.

[BuddyQ]

[ QUOTE ]
You aren't coberst. Campbell's ideas are insightful, but half-baked. Exactly the kind of thing to fuel coberst.

[/ QUOTE ]

Definitely half baked, in a good way thought, that got me to thinking. Don't know this coberst character, but how can more thinking hurt you, really?

[Splendour]

Do you agree that acquiring knowledge by reading non fiction is ten times as efficient as from reading fiction?

It's probable that it is more efficient because you don't have to spend time separating opinion from fact, but the bias could be fundamental to the way the facts were arrived at...Also fiction gives you knowledge into perhaps different areas than non-fiction...It lets you broaden your mind by exposing it to opinions other than your own. It may even be key in allowing you to stay creative and be able to think out of the box. Its interesting to note that the Japanese are some of the most group conforming people on the planet (possibly the only society in the world that elevates the group over the individual). They really do respect group values/perspectives over individual ones. As a group they are very proficient at taking an invention and finetuning it and refining it to its ultimate best usage standard (look at Japanese cars) but their conformity seems to keep them from becoming creative innovators.

[sykotic]

http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...of-life-intro/

Steve Pavlina's blog mainly addresses the issue of trying to live more consciously. He has excellent ideas that make you question the root of your beliefs. Highly recommend it to you all.

[luckyme]

[ QUOTE ]
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/200...of-life-intro/

Steve Pavlina's blog mainly addresses the issue of trying to live more consciously. He has excellent ideas that make you question the root of your beliefs. Highly recommend it to you all.

[/ QUOTE ]

ok, steve. enough.

besides, if I had any beliefs I'd rinse them once a week, roots and all.

luckyme