We are glad to welcome you, dear readers! I think that more than once in your life you have met people whom you want to listen to almost until the morning. Because they, it turns out, know so many interesting things that it is simply impossible to stop asking questions.
It’s interesting and exciting to work with them, they can warn you, suggest something, and in general, they deserve a lot of respect and recognition.
And if you want to be such a person, but do not have the desired level of knowledge at all and do not know where to start, then this article will help you. Because today we will look at how to increase erudition, and using completely different methods.
What to do?
First you need to understand what type of erudition you want to develop. That is, what strategy to follow:
- A little bit about different things. This is the so-called horizon. A person strives to collect knowledge from completely different spheres and areas. Let's say he is well versed in art, physics, sports, and even fashion. He is able to answer any question, only on the condition that he does not require highly specialized knowledge. Because his information is superficial.
- A lot, but about one thing. This option implies that a person accumulates knowledge purely in one area. But they are so deep that she can safely be called a professional. Because no one can compete in terms of awareness.
Therefore, first of all, define for yourself the goals that you want to achieve. If you are known as an interesting conversationalist, can easily solve crossword puzzles and are able to carry on any conversation without awkward pauses, then the first option will suit you.
But if you are striving to advance in your career, then feel free to choose the second one. Because, think about it yourself, would you take a child with a toothache to the dentist, or to just a family doctor? Will you order a team of craftsmen who are engaged in construction, or directly those who specialize in tiles, if you still need to decorate your bathroom beautifully and with high quality?
The connection between intelligence and mental processes
The human psyche is a complex structure, therefore all processes in it are interconnected and interdependent.
In particular, intelligence is largely influenced by the following internal realities:
- Thinking
Some scientists even considered these concepts to be synonymous. But this is fundamentally wrong. Thinking is the process of cognition and processing of information, and intelligence is the ability to competently apply knowledge at the right time. Without mental operations, a person's intellectual level would be very low.
- Will
Volitional efforts are needed precisely in order to master new material, study important books, and bring thoughts to the final result.
- Memory
The ability to retain, store and reproduce information is an integral part of intelligence.
- Attention
Intelligent people are distinguished by an attentive attitude to the world around them. They are able to notice the smallest details, analyze and study them. The development of intelligence is closely related to the improvement of human attention.
- Creativity
Guilford wrote about this sweet couple: intelligence and creativity. This term refers to a person’s ability to think creatively, that is, outside the box, to synthesize original ideas.
Horizon
Questions
The main problem of a person is that he simply ceases to be interested in the structure of the world. Something seems so familiar to him that he no longer has the need to figure out how it works and how it is designed.
By the way, children often baffle adults when they have to explain simple things, for example, why a refrigerator creates cold and where the wind comes from a hairdryer.
So, to develop erudition, use Cicero’s recommendations. Namely, try to explain and describe any situations based on this list:
- Who?
- What?
- How? With using what?
- For what?
- How?
- When?
- Where exactly?
Aphorisms
Quoting smart, famous cultural and scientific figures indicates the presence of high intelligence. Only if it is appropriate. By the way, aphorisms also often help to defend one’s opinion in the process of argument and discussion.
Just memorizing all sorts of collections will not help much. Try to think carefully about each phrase you read. Only then will it be remembered and appear in your head in a timely manner if you need to argue your point of view and so on.
Historical dates
Be sure to learn historical dates. Then the structure of the world will become more understandable and systematically built for you. The chronology of events is very important; without it it is impossible to navigate the information space.
Let’s say, if you are asked “Who did Grigory Aleksandrovich Potemkin fight for in World War II?”, then you will not have to calculate the years, because at that time he had been dead for a long time.
This is a primitive example, but it shows how important historical dates really are. Otherwise, your interlocutors can catch you at any time by asking a simple question. And then the reputation of a reasonable person with a broad outlook will be lost.
Websites and online programs
If you don't know where to start, I recommend checking out this site:
- Vikium. With its help you can improve memory, attention and thinking. By training literally 20 minutes a day, you will be surprised at the results you can achieve. This is the best brain training platform at the moment.
Reading magazines
Don’t forget about magazines: long gone are the days when subscriptions to “Science and Life” were given only to the lucky ones, and it was impossible to get a binder for previous years even in the district library. Now magazines are available to everyone, varied, on expensive paper, with colorful pictures.
Every supermarket has a shelf with magazines on different topics. And the kiosks with periodicals are simply bursting with them. Special series for collectors: dolls from different eras, military aircraft, weapons, jewelry, cuisine of the peoples of the world - the eyes just run wild.
Narrow profile
So, this option involves in-depth knowledge of one area. Just to begin with, you need to clearly define the area in which you want to achieve maximum competence. And also understand what exactly your limitations are.
Because before going somewhere, it is important for every person to know his location, the point from which he will move. Only in this case is it possible to build a route.
By the way, when an adult admits his limitations, this makes him even more significant in the eyes of his interlocutors.
Prepare colorful stickers on which you will write down topics and nuances that you would like to return to and pay more attention to. Make a training plan so that you have at least a rough idea of how long it will take you to achieve your goal. And also to structure the work, breaking it down into small tasks. You will learn how to draw up such a self-development plan from this article.
Basic indicators of intelligence
Psychologists have identified four key characteristics of intelligence:
- Depth of mind is the ability to get to the bottom of phenomena and events.
- Inquisitiveness is curiosity, the desire to learn new things.
- Flexibility and mobility - the ability to act outside the box, bypass barriers, and overcome difficulties.
- Logicality is the ability to justify one’s point of view and correctly present the material.
Some authors also consider creativity to be part of intelligence. However, this is not an entirely correct approach, because it is part of the structure of creativity. A person can be very creative, but not intellectually gifted.
Recommendations
Curiosity
Aristotle also discovered that we understand the world thanks to questions that are formed by our consciousness. If we weren’t interested in something, we would hardly be considered reasonable people. Since it is feelings that give us energy, motivate us to achieve and, in general, move us.
Just remember yourself at school. Was there a subject that seemed completely boring to you? Why could you sit at a textbook for almost several hours without understanding anything?
In general, to increase your intelligence, it is important to allow yourself to be curious like a child. Don't stop yourself, for example, by age.
It seems that at such and such an age one is not supposed to be interested in something with childish enthusiasm. And don’t be afraid to seem stupid or not understand something. Because, if you look at it, even the smartest person in the world does not possess universal knowledge.
Physical exercise
Exercising improves blood flow, which sends more oxygen to the brain. Accordingly, it is easier for him to process information, save it, and so on.
Only physical activity needs to be given to your body on a regular basis. No one is forcing you to run a marathon every week. Just choose a program that suits you, your body and your pace of life and practice for at least 30 minutes every day.
Development must be comprehensive; this is the only way to achieve harmony and balance.
Healthy sleep
No matter how much time you devote to the learning process, no matter how hard you try, if you sleep little or suffer from insomnia, all attempts to become smarter will be doomed to failure.
Because you will not be able to concentrate on the material, accordingly, it will not be stored in memory, and your thinking will become slow.
Therefore, if you have any problems with sleep, be sure to solve them. And how, you will find out from here.
Nutrition
The diet of an adult must be balanced and include a certain amount of nutrients, minerals, vitamins, and so on. Otherwise, the brain will not be able to actively and fully work, providing you with knowledge and skills.
You can find out which foods are most beneficial for the brain on our website.
And by the way, if you are addicted to nicotine, alcohol and other substances, first of all, declare a fight against them. Because you will waste resources and energy on the learning process.
After all, this kind of addiction has a negative impact not only on general health, relationships with loved ones and not so close people, at work, but also on cognitive functions and your abilities.
Communication
The life of any person is greatly influenced by the people with whom he often encounters.
Therefore, choose as interlocutors exactly those next to whom you become smarter, and not vice versa, degrade. With whom it is interesting to create a discussion, come up with something. Who can I turn to for advice and clarification?
You should not try to surround yourself with those next to whom you will feel that you are the most erudite and developed. Otherwise, you will relax and will not feel any motivation to achieve at all.
Reading books
Books read are also an excellent basis for erudition - well, of course, if they are not women's novels or detective stories by Dontsova. In the latter, by the way, there are definitely sensible thoughts, but it is difficult to glean useful information from them.
But classic examples of fiction contain a lot of useful information, especially if the book describes the author’s contemporary era. By the way, a pretty good result for those who do not like educational books and magazines: both pleasure and benefit. Well, who would tell us so fascinatingly about various poisons if not Arthur Conan Doyle through his character Sherlock Holmes? By the way, the author of this most famous detective of all time also had encyclopedic knowledge, which he shared with his readers.
Looking at one problem from all sides
The symbol of the Bonn science center is a sculpture representing an elephant and four blind men who are being touched on four sides. One feels the leg, the second the tail, the third the torso, the fourth the trunk. And everyone imagines only what they touched.
Only a collective image allows us to determine that it is an elephant. This confirms the usefulness of the diversified development of an erudite. He knows how to look at a problem as a whole and evaluate it from different angles, applying knowledge.
The essence of the concept
Intelligence and its components were first described by the German scientist Wilhelm Stern at the beginning of the 20th century. Then many scales and methods for diagnosing mental abilities appeared, including the famous IQ test.
This concept cannot be equated with cognitive, mental abilities. They are only a working tool of the intellect.
The most comprehensive model for this term was proposed by the American psychologist Joy Paul Guilford. In his opinion, intelligence includes 120 factors.
All of them can be classified according to three indicators:
- content (human mental work);
- operations (method of information processing);
- result.
The development of intelligence is possible if you work on all these points. However, in ordinary life, a person may have many ideas that he analyzes in every possible way, but cannot put into practice. He just doesn't have the skill for it.
It is very important to know how to increase your intellectual level in all areas. But more on that later
Non-fiction at the Red Square Book Fair
The selection from the “Popular Science Book” series was made up of publications that were in high demand at the fair and was liked by the literary expert-critic.
Richard Dawkins. Selfish gene
Publisher: Gorpus, translation by N. Fomina, 2013. 512 pp.
564 - 576 rub.
Richard Dawkins. Selfish gene
The author's first book (1976) remains the most widely read of all his works. This is a masterpiece of literature and biology, published in 20 languages. Well illustrated, it teaches about evolution and genetics. What is obvious to biologists will be a discovery to the “non-biological layman.” Informative, interesting: let’s take a walk with the author through time from insects to humans, talk about nature’s strategies, behavioral characteristics, and the “cultural revolution.”
Advantages:
- the author is an excellent conversationalist, smart, subtle, simply talks about complex things;
- we are biological machines - tough but honest;
- serious scientific work, controversial, but presented at a very accessible level;
- Even for a 100% humanitarian, it was tough.
Flaws:
- There are absolutely no illustrations, diagrams, or graphics.
Diana Halpern. Psychology of Critical Thinking
Publishing House PETER. Series: Masters of Psychology, 2000. 512 pp.
Electronic version, download for 240 rubles, 512 pages.
Electronic version downloaded for free, 158 pages.
Ayana Halpern. Psychology of Critical Thinking
A serious work on cognitive psychology, informal logic, in which there is a lot of psychological research. Interesting descriptions of fallacies - logical and intuitive, options for analyzing argumentation, tools for developing effective thinking, many other issues related to logic, memory, and brain function. A good guide for those who want to think modernly and will help with self-education.
Advantages:
- the structure of the text is correct - from simple to complex, each chapter is like an independent work, at the end there are conclusions, terms, it is very convenient to study;
- there are a lot of quotes, examples, problems - the head works, it’s not easy to read diagonally;
- real research, practical application suggested - excellent.
Flaws:
- not found.
David Edmonds. Would you kill the fat man?
Publishing house of the Gaidar Institute. 2016. 256 pp.
David Edmonds. Would you kill the fat man?
Philosophical work on the topics of ethics - “what is good and what is bad.” The science is subtle, with a lot of contradictions and paradoxes, and is described by the author with knowledge of the matter. Easy to read and gives a lot of useful knowledge. Ethical dilemma: are you ready to push one fat man onto the rails to save five tied to the same rails? Questions of the moral philosophy of “walking on corpses” or universal love have always been of interest precisely because of the complexity of choice.
Advantages:
- excellent narrative structure, easy and interesting to read;
- educational: catchy because there is no “correct” answer to some questions, both are wrong.
Flaws:
- a lot has been written about the “trolley problem”, an important point, but it is only a stepping stone to the main topic;
- For some reason, the author delved into the personal lives of female philosophers, completely off-topic, but there is not enough analysis of the problem.
Trips
Nothing gives such a flow of inspiration as the opportunity to look at the world around us. The more a person puts effort into traveling, the more new things he can learn about himself and the world around him. If you are also thinking about how to become erudite and intellectually significant, then you need to start expanding your own horizons. Traveling incredibly enriches our inner world, contributes to a surge of strength, and releases creative energy.
A person begins to believe in the opportunities that have arisen, wants to do something important, and is constantly developing.
Thus, if an individual is seriously concerned about becoming erudite and intellectually developed, he must definitely find time to take care of his own life. Without this, it is impossible to achieve significant results and succeed in many endeavors. Erudition helps not only in communication, it also helps to significantly increase self-esteem. Each person needs to engage in his own development, to devote enough time and attention to his existing abilities. This is the only way to fully move forward, to feel the joy of life and the meaningfulness of every choice you make.
Walking on the Internet
And, of course, our favorite way to obtain information is the Internet. You can find almost all of the above in it. If you want books, please, there are plenty of literary sites. Do you want to read them without wasting time? No problem, you can buy or download audio books.
Don't want to watch movies on TV at inconvenient times? There are video sites and YouTube at your service, where you can find everything and a little more. Virtual magazines for any month and year, which are no longer sold in paper form. Not to mention online encyclopedias, and not only about science and technology: now you can find a lot of different Wikis about popular computer games, modern technologies and many other topics, a search engine will help you.
He looks at things that seem to be known to everyone. Some of them turn out to be myths, some are true. In this case, the authors explain why.
Charles Fort "1001 Forgotten Miracles or the Book of the Damned."
Using the example of collected inexplicable facts, he shows how a person does not want to admit the existence of these things. Well, at the same time there are many things that show that our world is something more than we imagine.
Edward de Bongo, Teach Yourself to Think: A Self-Teaching Guide to Developing Your Thinking.
An excellent book for self-development if the information you read and see falls out of your memory as if through a leaky sieve. By the way, does everyone know what a sieve is? Or have you already forgotten? Who doubts or knew, but forgot - this book is for you!
Steven Juan "Weirdness of our bodies"
Written in very easy language, the book tells us about the processes taking place in our body. How we are born and die, when a disease is inevitable, and under what conditions it can be avoided, what needs to be done to avoid suffering from an accident, and a lot of other interesting facts.
Bill Bryson A Brief History of Everything.
This book received an award for its contribution to the development of world science, although the author only intended to write simply and interestingly about rather complex things. He succeeded, judging by the fact that this book became a real bestseller in English-speaking countries.
Now you have something to do in your spare time. And I say goodbye to you. See you in touch!
Look what Mrs. Russia 2012 thinks about erudition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVydzZYHQDk
Non-fiction of the XX International Book Fair
It is difficult to compile a list of the best books for the development of erudition, because this is a purely individual question. But experts from the largest Book Fair in Russia are quite capable of giving advice.
Gregory Burns. What does it mean to be a dog? And other discoveries in the field of animal neurobiology
Per. from English I. Evstigneeva. M.: Alpina Non-Fiction, 2022. 333 pp.
489 - 547 rub.
Gregory Burns. What does it mean to be a dog? And other discoveries in the field of animal neurobiology
Scientists study animals to try to discover cognitive abilities. Stories about scientific experiments on dogs, dolphins, and fur seals are presented by one of these scientists. Does the dog understand what color is called blue? What is “here” and “there” is clear to us, but to the Navy SEALs? Scientific research is always a complex but interesting process. Having taught dogs not to be afraid of a tomograph, the scientist told what was going on in the dog’s head. Navy SEALs understand musical ri using ultrasound. Everyone has feelings similar to humans.
Advantages:
- the author strives to show that the animal world plays an important role in the life of the planet. They only lack speech skills, otherwise they see, feel, and rejoice like people.
Flaws:
- Laboratory experiments on animals cannot be popularized; this is animal abuse.
Lyalya Kandaurova. Half an hour of music. How to understand and love the classics
M.: Alpina Publisher, 2022. 438 pp.
499 - 504 rub.
Lyalya Kandaurova. Half an hour of music. How to understand and love the classics
The author-musicologist explains the essence of classical music to generations who grew up after Perestroika. Easy-to-read four-part formatting. Read for yourself what the original names mean, it’s not written in an abstruse way, it’s easy and interesting to read. The author twists the plot like a detective film, intricate, mysterious, fascinating. Any play that is described can be downloaded on the Internet using a code and listened to. Knowing the history of creation, the principles of collecting notes into bars, listening becomes much more interesting.
Advantages:
- thanks to the author: I discovered the polyphony of Okegem;
- QR codes - you listen to the work that is written about, this is a good plus.
Flaws:
- I graduated from music school, but it was difficult to navigate among the variety of terms.
Dilshat Harman, Mikhail Mayzuls, Sergey Zotov. The Suffering Middle Ages
M.: AST, 2022. 416 pp.
457 - 696 rub.
Dilshat Harman, Mikhail Mayzuls, Sergey Zotov. The Suffering Middle Ages
A rare example when an Internet public (a community of history lovers - half a million subscribers) became a bestseller. Here you will find explanations for the marginalia in the margins of manuscripts and frescoes of the Middle Ages, strange, sometimes completely obscene. Monkeys in the margins of ancient manuscripts, obscene figures on church walls - where does such sacrilege come from? 600 illustrations, well-written text, seasoned with humor - this is how it turned out to be a historical piece. Its educational character and innovative ideas made it controversial for scientists, but one of the most widely read historical publications.
Advantages:
- it turned out to be a good encyclopedia of medieval icon painting for those just entering the topic, not for professionals;
- five thousand illustrations - that’s cool: European, Christian painting (Catholics, Protestants, Lutherans); The main goal - to unravel the symbolism of medieval paintings - was successfully completed.
Flaws:
- Often the image is not on the page where it is mentioned, this is annoying;
- frivolous pictures, the authors help to understand their meaning, but there is nothing about drawing technique, color symbolism.
Once a year
Why it’s useful: You will use your analytical thinking, assess the situation and set priorities correctly.
Perhaps this is the most important point. Stop, analyze and move on. Perhaps you are already almost a genius in music, but are far behind in mathematics? Then now is the time to direct your energies into the world of numbers. Fill yourself from all sides. Be multifaceted and versatile. Be better than yesterday!
What should you do:
- Write down what you did in 2022
- Draw conclusions
- Make plans for 2022
The wise Chinese said: “He who moved a mountain began with a small pebble.” My advice is the small stones. Master them - rise to the top of your capabilities. The main thing is consistency. Good luck!
List of detectives for the development of logic and deduction
Fans of detective stories are also lucky; this genre of literature is useful for developing the mind, logic, deduction and ingenuity. Writing descriptions for detective stories is like investigating half the battle and giving the rest to the reader, so we will simply list outstanding works that have an interesting plot and train the brain.
- "Guess the Number" John Verdon.
- "Sharp Objects" by Gillian Flynn.
- "The Voice of the Night Bird" by Robert McCamon.
- Crimes of the Past by Kate Atkinson.
- "Golden Scales" Parker Bilal.
- "Over the Settled Graves" by Jess Walter.
- "The Crossing" by Ellie Griffiths.
- "Thirteen Hours" by Deon Meyer.
- "The Collini Case" Ferdinand von Schirach.
- Crimes of the Past by Kate Atkinson.
- "Judgement Day" Kurt Aust.
If you really love the detective genre, we recommend reading the article The Best Detectives: Books Loved by Readers.
Once a month
How is it useful? You will use different areas of the brain, thereby improving its plasticity. The tougher the industry, the better for your development. It is known that after 30 years of age, cognitive abilities decline. But if the brain is constantly loaded, the number of neural connections will begin to increase, and you will become smarter.
Let your brain be surprised by the unusualness and complexity of a new hobby. And he will become engrossed in new details, theorems, programs, etc. For example, Peter the Great not only managed to lead the country, but was also interested in dentistry, shipbuilding, carpentry, and numismatics. And Walt Disney was engaged not only in cartoons, but also in designing trains. During breaks from working on the manuscript “War and Peace,” Tolstoy managed to master shoemaking. Write down a list on paper of the industries that are hard for you. No, no, no need to throw it away. We need to start with them! This will be a real way out of your comfort zone.
What should you do?
- Try yourself in:
- pottery art
- music
- kanzashi - create jewelry from ribbons
- Isographics – embroider on cardboard
- modding - transforming equipment
How is it useful? When a person paints, his brain, like the artist within, decides what the next stroke of the brush will be. Drawing develops creativity, helps you focus on details and improves memory.
It's never too late to pick up pencils, paint and markers. For example, American artist Morris Hirschfield discovered the artist in himself at the age of 65. I get bored in retirement - it happens. For 9 years he painted more than 77 paintings. The most expensive of his works, “Girl with a Dog,” was sold for 510 thousand dollars.
Impressive? Perhaps this talent lies within you too! And if not, it's okay. Drawing is just a way to become a better person.
What should you do?
- Try yourself in various drawing techniques:
- Mehendi
- Marbling - drawing on water
- Make pictures from audio cassette tapes
- Paint food
- Suminagashi
- Nail art
How is it useful? Thinking outside the box taps into your creative thinking. Thanks to this, you will strengthen your abilities and generate new ideas.
Imagine yourself as the Smasher Hulk, destroying the world of patterns. Think differently!
I share in several personal ways. The first one is called “Hook on the Word.” The idea is simple - name any word and associate it with your problem. And so on until you find the perfect word.
Another technique I call “Listen.” Throughout the day, listen to colleagues, passers-by, the bus driver, etc. They may have answers and ideas in their conversations!
What should you do:
- Read Edward de Bono's book Lateral Thinking
- Try to find a new use for an old item
- Return home in an unusual way every time
- Solve logic problems
- Come up with unusual comparisons
Why is erudition needed?
This question arouses discussion, discussions and debates take place around it. Some argue that polymaths are eccentric people who waste time on unnecessary hobbies. Those who want to know everything absorb books that come their way and get carried away by unnecessary knowledge.
They are like collectors who enthusiastically chase after old stamps, badges or works of art. In the same way, scholars increase their knowledge by looking for new roads for this.
Reasoning this way, representatives of the first group answer the question negatively: is it necessary to increase erudition? In ideas, erudition is an accumulation of knowledge, and not the ability to make discoveries and guarantee breakthroughs in the field of technology.
The second part of people responds to such judgments with the phrase: he who is not educated is ignorant. To support this statement, they give examples where ignorance is costly for others:
a lawyer who does not understand legislative terms and rules; a doctor who makes a diagnosis over the phone or misses signs and does not identify problems in time; a psychologist who has superficial knowledge and gives advice without delving into the question; a teacher of Russian, history, or another subject who has knowledge that is gleaned only from school literature.
Each of these cases is based on a lack of professional knowledge and a low level of education. These problems together lead to the inability of the specialist to assess the situation in the critical spectrum. As a result, it is impossible to find correct solutions.
Erudition is the ability to think beyond primitive explanations of the existence of the world. It leads to the development of a special mental makeup.
