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Follow Your Curiosity. Read Your Ass Off
- Lierre 6y agoWhile the main advise seems useful, "if you get interest in a thing, read a ton about it", this article is quite misleading. Not all sources are relevant, I don't know about Buddhism, but psychology is mentioned with psychoanalysis and it's not a science, while psychology is. Seems more about a new-age thing than really seeking correct information.
- bun_at_work 6y agoI think the article is saying that, should you read something interesting, pursuing that interest will provide meaningful insights. The author is saying that "sources" aren't as relevant as the history of interesting ideas. They are not saying read all sources. Just read a lot about the things that interest you. I find this strategy works very well for so many topics, specifically politics, economics, history, and more. Read 5 books on contemporary economics and you will be infinitely more informed than if you watch economics or market segments on news stations for 5 years. What you'll learn by reading those books is more than just some dry economic tautologies, you'll see the history of economic theory. So and so theorized economics like this, then they were disproven, then someone started talking about behavioral economics, etc etc. That seems to be much more useful than any alternative I know of.
- SeanFerree 6y agoExcellent points!
- qntty 6y agoSurely books about psychoanalysis are reliable sources of correct information about psychoanalysis
- miles 6y agoAnd, at a certain point, be on guard against too much reading, as Einstein warned[1]: > Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking, just as the man who spends too much time in the theater is tempted to be content with living vicariously instead of living his own life. [1] http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/satevepost/einstein.pdf http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/wp-content/uploads/sateve...
- pmoriarty 6y agoUnfortunately, the overwhelming majority of people are very far from having to worry about too much reading.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]
- briefcomment 6y agoI don't think so, I think they just fall into the second category of "theatregoers" aka "streamers".
- watwut 6y agoNah. They do too much reading. Except it is on twitter and facebook.
- fogetti 6y agoAnd stackoverflow and hacker news...
- thursday0987 6y agolooking at hacker news is reading.
- MeinBlutIstBlau 6y agoThat's an incredible quote that should be plastered over every single news posting on reddit and Facebook. Maybe people would realize reading about politics is completely a waste of time.
- ErikAugust 6y agoThe author of this post is "building a new way to publish books online." So I figure he wants us all to read as much as possible.
- SparksZilla 6y agoI did found Holloway, but I left the company a few months ago. I love reading, but no hidden agenda—I promise!
- gottareply2020 6y ago'and take notes' would be my follow-up to the article. Unless you've got a photographic memory, taking notes forces you to: 1. map/filter/reduce what you're reading for easy reference later, and 2. add your own observations/opinions/connections in real-time
- conductr 6y agoBe Curious is maybe the first step. I’m not a big reader but I’m frequently curious and end up reading a lot because of it. I also look for the shortest path to info gathering. If I can read an article instead of a book. Or a list instead of an article. I’m all for it. If something piques a further curiosity, I can always find more content.
- kthejoker2 6y agoMy own personal take is "only read something if you intend to teach it to someone else." Otherwise the stakes are too low. There has to be a pretty even balance between consume and produce. I think the ratio is probably 30/70, but whatever your personal ratio is, make sure both sides are serving the other - consume to produce, take feedback from what you produce to consume more.
- t0mbstone 6y agoI think you are failing to account for the most obvious reason why you should be reading things: So you can use the information YOURSELF, for your OWN purposes. Reading a book can be like buying a new tool. The information you learn can sometimes transform your entire life. This is often true, regardless of whether or not you intend to teach the contents of the book to someone else.
- dorchadas 6y agoThis is why I read. I just enjoy learning new things, so I try to read widely across a variety of interests, and read between pop books on a topic and academic works (sadly, I've found I can't read much fiction anymore). It's not so I can teach someone else, or even synthesize it all together for some grand research project (though maybe if I started taking notes...), but simply because I enjoy learning and broadening my interests, and it gives me more stuff to talk about with different people. But, if I was independently wealthy, I'd just stay at university the rest of my life too, pursuing various majors/classes/masters as my fancy takes me. To me, that's the dream life, and reading is a way to sort of mimic that without having to pay.
- grammarnazzzi 6y agoOoooo. An edgey PSA. Read my "ass" off. Thanks for the advice. What's your next tip? > Get Attention: Post Your Ass Off Who upvotes this nonsense?
- cambalache 6y agoThis is not even a properly disguised advertisement. Content free and full of fluff. Keep pieces like this in mind when HN as a group want to boast it is somewhat better than the other forums on the Internet. God I miss old Slashdot.