Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How to live an intellectually rich life

utsavmamoria.substack.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

61–70 of 337 posts

Re: How to live an intellectually rich life

#61

Post by lanfeust6 »

tomrod wrote: post #12

I tried this for awhile, but was dissatisfied. I found myself a constant consumer of intellectual material instead of being an engaged participant. Once I realized that, I set course to become more of a producer of useful things. That's led me to woodworking, to running a consultancy, to producing AI/ML for nonprofits, and to writing academic works. All in all, I enjoy life substantially.

I agree. Knowledge-seeking can become a defense or excuse not to take action. I think it can be enriching, particularly when young, but there's a balance in everything.

Re: How to live an intellectually rich life

#62

Post by lanfeust6 »

xwiz wrote: post #54
aflukasz wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find consumer vs producer to be very interesting and useful distinction. Sometimes very enlightening and somewhat scary when applied to personal time spending.

Pairing production and consumption can be very satisfying. Some personal examples: - Cooking a novel dish, then eating it - Setting up a music server, then listening to music with it - (With friends) Making a pen-and-paper game, then playing it

One might argue that everything we produce lends itself to some kind of consumption. Moreover, not all actions lead to tangible "products", but they can lead to useful results and experiences. Sports and games are an example.

Re: How to live an intellectually rich life

#63

Post by uncletaco »

kelseyfrog wrote: post #59
WillAdams wrote: post #32

For my part, one of the most striking things which I recall from my youth was reading Dumas' _The Count of Monte Cristo_ and the Abbé Faria contending that everything a gentleman needed to make his way in life was contained in less than 100 books --- which he had memorized the content of, and could impart to the young Edmond Dantes. A naïve younger me tried to brute force this by reading one non-fiction book from eac…

St John's College is known for their Great Books curriculum - the foundation of their four year program - where students read the primary text of western civilization. It's always held a soft spot in my heart as my own experience was mostly reading derivative descriptions and the rare times when I was able to read a primary text during my coursework were always my happiest memories. 1. https://www.sjc.edu/academic-pr…

I’ll never forget the night sjc students invited me to smoke weed and listen to some Charles Mingus.

Re: How to live an intellectually rich life

#65

Post by lanfeust6 »

js8 wrote: post #49

I have been wondering lately if "intellectually rich" can be found solely in books. I read Jim Stanford's Economics for Everyone, and he recommends to go out and talk to people and see what problems they are having in life. That's not to say that long time dead philosophers cannot give good insights, but I feel that looking at other people's problems (especially in different cultures) is a lot more relevant for under…

I think one of the advantages of reading very old material is a) it's not bogged down by modern ideology, b) imparting the realization that some human issues and ideas have been around a very long time (see for instance dialogues in Thucydides History of the Peloponnesian War), b) some ideas and insights have a timelessness to them. Take for instance the Tao Te Ching. I found it retains influential power, despite my not being completely on board.

Re: How to live an intellectually rich life

#66

Post by munksbeer »

throwup238 wrote: post #53
safety1st wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Philosophy is just one of the liberal arts. This idea has declined in popularity in recent years but I still think there's a lot to be said for possessing a liberal arts education. If you have a good one your understanding of the world around you gets broader and deeper. You recognize why things are the way they are. In the long term you may spot opportunities you wouldn't have otherwise, or be able to solve problems…

> Philosophy is just one of the liberal arts. This idea has declined in popularity in recent years but I still think there's a lot to be said for possessing a liberal arts education. If you have a good one your understanding of the world around you gets broader and deeper. Look no further than all the AI debates on HN: from the perspective of someone with a couple of college classes on philosophy (not even a minor),…

Yes, people are going to be ignorant of things they haven't studied previously. So, people exploring the ideas and debating them for the first time might look amateur to you, but why is that a bad thing?

Re: How to live an intellectually rich life

#68

Post by financypants »

WillAdams wrote: post #32

For my part, one of the most striking things which I recall from my youth was reading Dumas' _The Count of Monte Cristo_ and the Abbé Faria contending that everything a gentleman needed to make his way in life was contained in less than 100 books --- which he had memorized the content of, and could impart to the young Edmond Dantes. A naïve younger me tried to brute force this by reading one non-fiction book from eac…

ah yes, read 100 books, abide by 1,000,000 rules

Re: How to live an intellectually rich life

#69

Post by kurthr »

kelseyfrog wrote: post #59
WillAdams wrote: post #32

For my part, one of the most striking things which I recall from my youth was reading Dumas' _The Count of Monte Cristo_ and the Abbé Faria contending that everything a gentleman needed to make his way in life was contained in less than 100 books --- which he had memorized the content of, and could impart to the young Edmond Dantes. A naïve younger me tried to brute force this by reading one non-fiction book from eac…

St John's College is known for their Great Books curriculum - the foundation of their four year program - where students read the primary text of western civilization. It's always held a soft spot in my heart as my own experience was mostly reading derivative descriptions and the rare times when I was able to read a primary text during my coursework were always my happiest memories. 1. https://www.sjc.edu/academic-pr…

Trying to learn Newtonian Mechanics from Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica is kinda dumb though.

I certainly noticed that it was ineffective in discussing implications with the students. I found Boyle's observations far more effective in teaching science.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophi%C3%A6_Naturalis_Pri...

Re: How to live an intellectually rich life

#70

Post by crims0n »

WillAdams wrote: post #32

For my part, one of the most striking things which I recall from my youth was reading Dumas' _The Count of Monte Cristo_ and the Abbé Faria contending that everything a gentleman needed to make his way in life was contained in less than 100 books --- which he had memorized the content of, and could impart to the young Edmond Dantes. A naïve younger me tried to brute force this by reading one non-fiction book from eac…

I am about a quarter of the way through Modern Library’s top 100 and it has been a worthwhile journey. It is “just” literary fiction but it is among the best humanity has produced. I have learned so much about the human condition, my ability to articulate ideas has improved tremendously, and I feel like my mind has been “freed from the tyranny of the present” (to quote Cicero).

https://sites.prh.com/modern-library-top-100

Post reply on HN