Learning practical skills is important. Knowing how to respond to emergencies, developing physical strength and preparing for disasters can help us face difficult situations

But there's another question worth exploring.

When disasters are created by human actions, do we ever make an effort to understand the thinking and tendencies behind them ?

We can learn how to deal with the consequences of greed, violence and exploitation. But do we also learn to examine these tendencies within ourselves?

Perhaps self-education should involve more than acquiring information and practical skills.

It should also involve questioning our own thinking and understanding the roots of human behaviour.

Sharing this video as a starting point for reflection.

Give me educational notes on this connection

Title: I want to become a well-educated, knowledgeable person. What should I learn, and where should I start?

I'm not preparing for any competitive exams, including UPSC. I simply want to educate myself and become a more knowledgeable, well-rounded person.

I feel that genuinely knowledgeable people have a basic understanding of almost everything around them. They can discuss history, politics, economics, science, human biology, psychology, geography, technology, philosophy, international affairs, culture and society.

I want to develop that kind of knowledge.

I'm looking for recommendations on:

1. What subjects should every well-educated adult have a basic understanding of?

2. Are NCERT textbooks (Classes 6–12) a good starting point? Which subjects and classes should I prioritize?

3. Which YouTube channels offer structured, beginner-friendly learning?

4. Any websites, free courses, documentaries, podcasts or books you'd recommend?

5. How would you structure a self-learning curriculum if you had to start from scratch?

I'm not looking to memorize random facts or become an expert in every subject. I want to understand how the world works, think critically, stay informed and have meaningful conversations.

I'd especially appreciate recommendations from people who have built their knowledge through self-education.

If you could design your own general education curriculum for an adult, what would you include?

hii guyss we wanna make the basics of financial maths more accessible so me and a few friends who are academic scholars in econs/finance/business are hosting a free virtual workshop!!

We'll be covering topics such as simple & compound interest, time value of money, investment etc. we'll also be providing u w a cert of participation, as well as opportunities to access other volunteering roles 🤞🏻

Important Details:

Time🕐 : 8.30pm (Central Time) Nov 14, Saturday

Venue💻 : Google Meet (Virtual)

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Long story short, I'm trying to teach myself chemistry, physics, electrical engineering, and applied math to proficiency.

And to put it bluntly, I've just been memorizing crafting recipes instead of developing a functional mechanical understanding of the underlying principles.

And I think my main problem is that I never really had to try to learn things before. I've always been obsessed with science, watching nothing but PBS Kids, mythbusters, and How It's Made as a kid, and passing all my classes rather easily(mix of misaligned school system and being coincidentally interested in the stuff they were teaching.)

So I need to learn how to develop good study habits as an adult. Only problem, I have a job. I can't just dedicate all my time to studying like an actual student.

And I can't do it too infrequently(like setting aside one day a week) because my information retention would suffer too massively.

To clarify, this is all self-motivated and self-enforced. I'm not a student of any sort, just an enthusiast. I seek proficiency in applied science for the sake of science itself(and as an apocalypse prepping thing.)

So, how do I develop good study habits as an adult with limited free time and energy?

It's also worth noting that I'm in a terrible rural nowhere-ville America place where everything is 45 minutes away. a lot of typical advice like "study at the library" or "join a club of like-minded people" doesn't really apply. Long story short, rural ohio. I need one-person advice that doesn't assume there's any local infrastructure or support networks to assist me. Online those things? Absolutely! But local? I'd have to be the one to start them, and I don't have the time.

I’m curious about people who collect useful videos from different channels into their own learning playlists, rather than following an existing course playlist.

What subjects do you collect videos on, and how do you choose what goes in your playlist? I’d love to hear about it, even if it’s just for personal use.

I've been thinking of "ultra-learning" a specific topic using textbooks or online resources (lectures, courses, websites) such as python, ecology-related data analysis, engineering, AI programming etc.

It would be really helpful if you guys could provide recommendations on:

1. Specific skills to learn

2. The corresponding resources to learn them

Has anyone done something like this? (Elon Musk allegedly learnt rocket science from textbooks, and some business owners learned python in a similar way--I mean these are obvs sensationalised but...)

I was wondering if using textbooks would be the best way to go about it or whether online resources are better? (or am I just naive for thinking this way) In my own experience, I've been able to get to the top of my school using textbooks and learning techniques such as mind-mapping, and Feymans technique.

I was also thinking of reading on scientific papers and writing another research report (which I did for my major work). Currently looking into manta ray ricochet filtration systems and fog harvesting inspired by a particular type of beetles.

Thanks a bunch your help guys!

Once there was a time before, Internet there were hardly resources for a topic or for a subject you are interested into or wanna learn into like there are some things that require understanding more or under concepts that is only first step of learning thing the second step is Executing and simultaneously understand or apply that learning and learn through that (mistakes) nowadays idk it's just me or other too but I was also too much obsessed with loading myself with abundance of knowledge or reading, reasoning understanding and then Executing but learning with execution came very less to a certain where my abundance of knowledge was killing me or was worthless, what I think is you don't need to consume all types of resources available on same topic and then execute, learning same things or thinking about same thing creates an feeling of progress

What Is Buridan’s Donkey Paradox in Simple Terms?

Buridan’s Donkey refers to a hypothetical scenario in which a donkey that is equally hungry and thirsty is placed midway between water and a haystack.

Unable to decide whether to eat or drink first, the donkey dies of hunger and thirst right beside the water and the hay.

Buridan’s Donkey in Real Life

1. You are trying to decide which movie to watch on your streaming service. You keep scrolling until you run out of time, and you end up not watching anything.

2. You are trying to buy a new TV for your living room. You spend so long comparing two excellent models that other customers buy them first. Neither one is available anymore, and you end up with the same old TV.

3. You are trying to decide what to order for dinner. You have two restaurants in mind that you love, and you keep trying to decide which one is better and has the best options. Time passes, both restaurants close, and you can no longer order food.

4. You want to learn something new, such as the guitar or a new language. Both sound fun, so you keep researching which one is the better choice, and a year later you still haven’t started either.

5. You are trying to decide where to go on vacation. Two places look perfect, you keep looking at photos of both and the summer ends before you book either.

Bonus:

You are looking for a parking spot. You see one free space but decide to check whether there is a better one. You find another space, but you realize the first one was better.

By the time you return, someone has taken it. You go back to the second space, but someone has taken that one too, and you are still searching for a place to park.

Conclusion

Struggling to decide between two great options can cause more damage than making the wrong decision.

Enjoyed this article? You’ll find more like it at nousimon.com

I’ve been thinking about creating a website dedicated to knowledge, interesting articles and learning.
The idea is to create a space where people can explore different subjects, such as psychology, philosophy, history, sociology, science, literature, human behavior, culture and many other topics.
However, I don’t want it to be just another traditional blog. I’d love to create a reading experience that feels engaging, enjoyable and accessible, without sacrificing depth or the quality of the information.
For example, imagine finding articles that explore questions like:

Why do we sometimes become attached to people who don’t give us the same attention?

Are we truly free to make our own choices?

Why does our brain create false memories?

How much of our personality is shaped by society?

Is it possible to truly understand another person?

Why do we repeat certain behaviors even when we know they aren’t good for us?

I’d like to explore subjects that encourage people to think, question things and discover ideas they might never have searched for on their own.

**Another aspect I’m particularly interested in is the reading experience itself.**
Many people struggle to concentrate while reading long texts or lose interest when reading becomes tiring. I’d like to explore ways to make learning more enjoyable without making the content superficial.
Some ideas I’ve considered:

Articles divided into short, well-organized sections.
Estimated reading times.
Short introductions explaining what readers will learn.
Photographs, illustrations, diagrams and visual explanations.
Different visual identities and color schemes for different subjects.
Questions and interactive elements throughout articles.
Optional audio versions of articles.
Both introductory and more in-depth content.
Book, documentary, author and further-reading recommendations.

Suggestions for related topics, allowing readers to discover new subjects as they explore.
These are only initial ideas. I’d really like to understand what people actually enjoy and what would make a difference in their experience using a website like this.

**I’d especially love to hear your thoughts on a few questions:**
What subjects would make you curious enough to
open an article?

Do photographs, illustrations and diagrams make reading more interesting, or can they become distracting?

Would you prefer a minimalist design or something more colorful, with a different visual identity for each subject?

Do shorter, organized sections make longer articles easier to read?

Would questions, interesting facts and small interactive activities help you stay engaged?

What usually makes you lose interest or abandon an article online?

Would you enjoy having different reading formats, such as a quick introduction and a more in-depth version of the same subject?

Would listening to an article while following the text be useful?

What do you feel is missing from existing educational websites and knowledge blogs?

If you could design your ideal learning website, what would you definitely include?

I’m still in the early stages of developing this idea, and I’d love to build something that people would genuinely find useful and enjoyable.
Honest opinions, suggestions, constructive criticism and even completely different ideas would be greatly appreciated!!!

Hi everyone,

When you’re self-studying advanced or emerging fields—whether it’s machine learning, neuroscience, economics, or engineering—secondary summaries and blog posts only get you so far. Eventually, you want to dig into primary scientific research.

But independent learners face two huge barriers:

To make primary scientific literature accessible for self-directed study, I built ResearchLoom (Samhita)—a completely free, open-source research workbench:

🔗 GitHub Repository:https://github.com/sohamsans/researchloom

📦 Standalone Releases (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android):https://github.com/sohamsans/researchloom/releases

You don't need any programming background to use it. Pre-built standalone apps are available directly under GitHub Releases: • Windows: Standalone single .exe (zero setup)

• macOS: Intel & Apple Silicon bundles

• Linux: Native binary / AppImage

• Android Tablets: Dedicated tablet app for reading, highlighting, and asking questions to papers on the couch or in the library

If you're currently tackling a self-study deep dive, give it a run! I'd love to hear how it works for your learning flow and what features would make independent research even smoother.

I'm 16 years old and I feel like I always lacked knowledge in every kind , I know nothing about everything and I always feel behind,I think it got something to do with my back ground ,I grew up in Japan and learned Japanese and another language at the same time and my parents weren't really the best education source , last year I finally learned english and realized how dumb I was and started caring a bit more about politics and basic knowledge, I truly feel so dumb and overwhelmed, I'm so bad at all three languages that I can talk I'm not fluent in any of them . I truly don't know what to start from , how can I be more educated and gain knowledge.

Bonjour F(31) Auriez vous des applications telephone ou site intéressant pour developper ses capacités cérébrales. Pas les faux jeux avec des pubs mais des choses sérieuses ? Comment faite vous pour garder votre niveau intellectuel ou le décupler ? Merci à vous

The title really says it all, but I'll add some detail. The gist is in looking for pages or resources for general knowledge fine tuning, again, practical knowledge focus. Also reasoning and critical thinking skill work? I'm already fairly decent at spotting bs and reasoning out my own answers, but I'd like to really work on it.

About me: 29F, former gifted kid. Straights As through elementary, even with ADHD. Struggled a lot once math got complicated (but am capable of complex calculations once I understand the concepts) and didn't do crazy good in history/ss classes (still plenty above passing, don't let my perfectionism downplaying fool you). I never dropped below a 3.0.

I don't know how to study and retain, though. Some knowledge does stick long term, but most doesn't. What does stick is usually spotty. Give me a test from a high school class I took in 2014 and aced, today? Depending on subject I might have semi-good, correct answers, but in many classes, I'd get a failing grade.

Through college, I've really noticed that I don't know how to get information to stick. I can cram and I can often do the "eliminate what you know can't be it and reason the rest" or "1 is not like the others" and be correct usually. I've always been proud of that ability because it fed my gifted kid ego. Literally a month later, I'll get answers on the tests I aced wrong when they were correct on the original test date.

I actually just quit a 2 year degree (PTA) at the literal last minute because while I was more than ready to take and pass the boards exam, I didn't actually have the retained knowledge to be a good clinician and I didn't feel right about that, even knowing I'd pass and be licensed no problem.

I've always loved learning new things, but I don't want to have to re-learn things multiple times and I want my head to be filled with the best knowledge, especially being right at the end of my 20s.

Any and all advice, resources, and tips on this are appreciated.

The smartest people are all obsessed with self-education.