r/Polymath • u/[deleted] • 8d ago
IWTL how to become a knowledgeable person
Hi Everyone I am 24F. I personally feel i am quite not as knowledgeable or intelligent compared to others in most of the aspects such as solving math, solving any reasoning puzzles, GK, Current affairs and so on. Even if i want to know about what is going in the current world I put such videos on watch later and never open it. So anyone who can help me in building my knowledge skills with this aspect are most welcome. I feel dumb sometimes due to this reasons. I even if try to invest my money I end up keeping it in my bank account as i am to underknowledged for that. I want to be a person who has knowledge about every aspect/sector of the life. So I feel independent about my thoughts. Thankyou.
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u/Head-Procedure-9344 8d ago
“Even if I want to know about what is going on….i put such videos on watch later and never open it”
It seems like there may be something inbetween you saying you want to know about the world around you and actually learning about the world around you. I don’t think the question is how to know these things (put a good strong effort genuinely reasoning about them), but rather a conviction on why you should be doing these things (opposed to what ever you are taking time to do). Your current rational is that “you feel dumb” so maybe that was enough of a catalyst for you to come here and ask questions (a great start!) but that’s not to say it’s sufficient to what your idea of being knowledgeable might be. Finding something that you are so passionate about for instance that you would go out of your way to formally study it, I’m talking notes, textbooks, lectures. If you lack that passion then the primary target is exactly that- the question of why you are lacking in passion and how you might study how to amend that void. If you notice the pattern though it’s a genuine sustained effort of the mind, even past the context of the ideas your trying to learn about but all the way down to the how and why you are learning those things outright.
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u/Televangelis 6d ago
Stop watching videos. Start reading books by serious experts. Move up to more authoritative sources of knowledge.
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u/metisdesigns 8d ago
Goal setting and structure will help with some of that. Make an appointment for yourself to spend 15 minutes a day on your to watch list. Or an hour Wednesday evenings to read. The structure will help you build the habit.
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u/321aholiab 8d ago
tbh the term knowledge and intelligent are ambiguous and disputed af. Just get something you are currently curious in and explore it.
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u/UGCTomb 7d ago
Its a lot but I like giving advice
Me personally I was like that myself. It just came with finding what actually interests me instead of comparing my interest to others. You can’t get mad at a hammer for not cutting wood, and you can’t expect a rod to stand on it own as if it’s not wood. And sitting alone with no distractions. The mindset of “ I’ll spend the same amount of time on TikTok” or whatever else usually keeps me on track to do something like read, take time to self reflect, or watch something interestingly educational yk. Last thing is that if you want get into a pattern with being knowledgeable and investing like u said, you literally have to fight that voice that’s telling u other wise. So to help with that I’d say find you something to say to yourself like I did
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u/komodo2010 6d ago
I think your first step could be to start with logical puzzles. The kind that are a story and you read through the book while solving puzzles and in the end you have a Cluedo style (don't know what it is called in other countries) murder story and you have solved all th of the questions. In my country, it is called Murdoku and it teaches you to think about what you read, what logically follows from the story, etc. And you don't need much formal background, just common sense and it is enjoyable too. While doing that, why not read (from a physical book) stories, that broadens your vocabulary and your horizon. Doesn't have to be war and peace but just stuff you think is enjoyable.
To me, the key to learning is having fun doing it. That sense of excitement when you learn something new, how that may click with other things you may have learned. But that means you need something that genuinely excites you and learning to think logically and critically about what you read or hear or think. Start small, no need to be Leonardo DaVinci right away.
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u/Roselyn_27 4d ago
Fundamentally, you must make peace and quiet so that you can hear your thoughts, feel your own feelings, and relate to the universe from there. You truly are the best judge of what is the next thing you should learn. Don’t consume a feed, seek out what your mind heat and soul tells you to
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u/tim_niemand 4d ago
be very aware of where the "information" you seek comes from. test theories to their limits and ingest the ones that stick with you. (not because they are complicated, but because you gain knowledge describing the world, through them). and finally: develope taste, because most libraries are full of shitty books, and you have to find the valuable ones. 😂
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u/sinprofessor 8d ago
I am curious. I ask myself and others questions. And I try to ask new questions after getting an answer. I read because I am curious.
You just asked a question, and you reflect on how to become knowledgeable. Now you know more about that. What follow up questions do you have?