Furthering Our Intellectual Development

maybe you can pick up "The Imaginary Institution of Society" by Cornelius Castoriadis (to OP or whoever reads this)

what has worked for me:

-go to college and take classes that you are really interested in (as in, for learning, not credits) especially ones about things you don't know much about

-go to the library and get any interesting up-to-date books about other cultures, world history, astronomy, music, sociology, etc., that you can find, and read them. you may think you know world history, culture, and music, but once you really start looking in detail, you will realize how little you knew.

-take any opportunities you get to experience other cultures or explore natural climates

-smoke weed by yourself (important) and just take some time to relax and contemplate life.

if you are anything like me, you will definitely have some eureka moments.

if you're a man, castrate yourself. Does wonders for mental tranquility and focus...

Flatland. It's free for kindle. And Kindle is free for PC. And it's a quick read.

Although it doesn't deal with religion, it converted me from Atheism to Agnosticism.

  On 5/28/2012 at 5:43 AM, ganus said:

-go to the library and get any interesting up-to-date books about other cultures, world history, astronomy, music, sociology, etc., that you can find, and read them. you may think you know world history, culture, and music, but once you really start looking in detail, you will realize how little you knew.

-take any opportunities you get to experience other cultures or explore natural climates

-smoke weed by yourself (important) and just take some time to relax and contemplate life.

Agreed! It's really easy to get into a region's history and their people. In regards to smoking weed; go for a walk in a forest while coming down and just appreciate nature. After you appreciate nature read "Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson (It's free for kindle, and kindle is free for PC, and it's a quick read). Then go for another walk in the forest and appreciate nature even more.

Then find books that will enable you to identify pieces of nature. Birds, trees, whatever.

Man, it's so sad that high school has to be such a waste of life.

  On 5/28/2012 at 6:29 AM, Murveman said:

Flatland. It's free for kindle. And Kindle is free for PC. And it's a quick read.

 

Although it doesn't deal with religion, it converted me from Atheism to Agnosticism.

 

 

  On 5/28/2012 at 5:43 AM, ganus said:

-go to the library and get any interesting up-to-date books about other cultures, world history, astronomy, music, sociology, etc., that you can find, and read them. you may think you know world history, culture, and music, but once you really start looking in detail, you will realize how little you knew.

-take any opportunities you get to experience other cultures or explore natural climates

-smoke weed by yourself (important) and just take some time to relax and contemplate life.

 

Agreed! It's really easy to get into a region's history and their people. In regards to smoking weed; go for a walk in a forest while coming down and just appreciate nature. After you appreciate nature read "Nature" by Ralph Waldo Emerson (It's free for kindle, and kindle is free for PC, and it's a quick read). Then go for another walk in the forest and appreciate nature even more.

Then find books that will enable you to identify pieces of nature. Birds, trees, whatever.

 

Man, it's so sad that high school has to be such a waste of life.

murve

come to washington

I have acres of rainforest in my backyard (literally, on all counts) that I walk in almost every day

the invitation is there

  On 5/28/2012 at 6:29 AM, Murveman said:

Although it doesn't deal with religion, it converted me from Atheism to Agnosticism.

They are not mutually exclusive, you know.

  On 5/28/2012 at 6:17 AM, lumpenprol said:

if you're a man, castrate yourself. Does wonders for mental tranquility and focus...

The focus part yes....the mental tranquility....I'm not so sure...all the stories of court intrigue in imperial China involving eunuchs don't sound like they were very tranquil mentally. Zheng He was well known for being pretty ferocious (probably cause his court name was ironically, "three jewels").

OP - you should read "Manufacturing Consent" by Chomsky and Herman on your plane/train/bus ride to wherever you decide to go. Also you should take a look at "Necessary Illusions" by Chomsky - it goes into great detail about much of the subject matter of the documentary "century of the self" i listed earlier.

As my pissy comment earlier indicated I don't have anything of value to add to this thread except...Dostoevsky. The Brothers Karamazov in particular affected me more than any philosophy I've ready. Although I haven't re-read it in ages, I'm pretty sure that it contains most of the wisdom one could need in one's life (though some will probably argue it puts too high a premium on the value of suffering). The Idiot is about as good, maybe equal to Brothers K. Crime and Punishment is of course a classic, but I don't think it quite reaches the heights of the other two.

The sad thing is that there are way too many good books in this world and only so little time....

*sigh*

*puts Dostoevsky on the to read list*

Definitely second the Dostoevsky recommendation. I also agree with the two books lumpy suggested as the key books from the author.

oh also, if we're talking Russian authors - Solzhenitsyn.

"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich", "Cancer Ward", and "The Gulag Archipelago" are three must reads.

Don't do any of the things told to you in this thread.

  On 5/28/2012 at 10:22 AM, Lascaille said:

Don't do any of the things told to you in this thread.

The cake is a lie!

*head explodes*

  On 5/27/2012 at 3:22 AM, YO303 said:

Get on a plane a travel the world, best way to expand your everything.

This. No point hiding in a book my good friend. You can read your book while travelling. Just imagine the mind-fuck!!

Though not academic, I ain't stupid. I spent 6 years travelling the world by myself (though never alone if I so chose). I can quite happily hold company with the most well-read human being on the planet, and in fact if I so chose it would be me telling them about the world. Diffence being is that my stories won't send you too sleep.

If you want to learn about the world, go see it. Sitting in a library is horse shit.

the way you say 'if i so chose' does sound pretty intelligent

i like how he said "send you too sleep". maybe read a book while you're being awesome all over the world.

*snores in beerwolfs lap*

Thanks for all these suggestions. Are most of these books are well-known and could be found in the library?

  On 5/28/2012 at 6:38 PM, beerwolf said:

Though not academic, I ain't stupid. I spent 6 years travelling the world by myself (though never alone if I so chose). I can quite happily hold company with the most well-read human being on the planet, and in fact if I so chose it would be me telling them about the world. Diffence being is that my stories won't send you too sleep.

 

If you want to learn about the world, go see it. Sitting in a library is horse shit.

umm....or you could do a bit of both?

also, last time i checked, a library was free. world travel is not.

i've spent the last 16 minutes travelling around my neighborhood. as it stands, i can be in the same room with people who have run entire marathons year after year and if i'm being honest i could tell them a lot more than they can possibly tell me. the main reason is that they run so much and so fast it's nearly impossible to understand what they're saying. but with me, i idly saunter about and my words drift into your brains in a languid breeze of comprehension. plus, just fucking imagine (can you???) how i can read while i walk. totally not a big deal. AT ALL! i can even walk over slight obstacles like sleeping cats and the homeless while i read-walk.

sitting in a library is for complete utter losers! THEIR LOSS! if you want to actually learn about the world, like, say you were interested in astrophysics, the last place you want to be is in a stuffy old library. you should travel around, fuck bitches and look at stuff. any questions noobs?

- alcotuffbas

i love you aclofirbas

*posts "no homo" under a pic that conveys my love for you with hilarious shades of probably just for laughs homoeroticism*

*wanks meta-dork*

  On 5/28/2012 at 6:38 PM, beerwolf said:

Though not academic, I ain't stupid. I spent 6 years travelling the world by myself (though never alone if I so chose). I can quite happily hold company with the most well-read human being on the planet, and in fact if I so chose it would be me telling them about the world. Diffence being is that my stories won't send you too sleep.

 

If you want to learn about the world, go see it. Sitting in a library is horse shit.

stay thirsty my friends

  On 5/29/2012 at 12:31 AM, Alcofribas said:

i idly saunter about and my words drift into your brains in a languid breeze of comprehension.

whole thing was hilarious but this in particular made me guffaw a lol.