Of course! I understand that a list of books isn't initially helpful as it only presents a time sink and nothing of immediate utility, but I believe I gained no

Of course! I understand that a list of books isn't initially helpful as it only presents a time sink and nothing of immediate utility, but I believe I gained noticable cognitive improvements from reading those. You might also be interested in: https://fs.blog/mental-models/ https://fs.blog/mental-models/, which I read recently and have mixed feelings about. Unfortunately I don't have any clear cut answers, and sadly I don't think reality does either - by nature, it's a question that is subject to personal opinion and biased answers. But if you find a satisfactory answer, please let me know. And as a final note, I think I've learned the most from debate - be it online or in person. Engaging in challenging discussion whenever possible (figuratively). It may sound lame, but forcing myself into such discussions, or at least reading them carefully and analytically, has helped me tremendously.