/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.10065244]

brainlet who plays video games all day here. im sick of it all and want to become intelligent, where should i start?

[Anonymous No.10065257]

>>10065244
Start with the Greeks

[Anonymous No.10065260]

reading won't make you intelligent, that's a mistake many anons have made

Non-fiction can make you knowledgeable on subjects, choose what interests you. Fiction is more of an emotional experience.

[Anonymous No.10065264]

>>10065244
I've been to the end of knowledge Anon, there's no solace here for you.
I recommend suicide instead honestly

[Anonymous No.10065290]

>>10065244
Start reading the canon and doing math. Don't plan on seeing any results for at least two years. Look up every word you don't know and define a few words each day. Having a large vocabulary and utilizing it correctly is pretty much 75% of being intelligent, and of course vocabulary is being used here in a wide sense, not just the stuff in a dictionary. Quit playing games, sell that shit for book money. Although your chances are dim since you even needed to ask in the first place, if you do all these things you'll be smart. I recommend thinking for yourself next time, its good practice.

[Anonymous No.10065301]

Not posting frogs would be a good start

[Anonymous No.10065303]

>>10065244
Start with Finnegans Wake.

[Anonymous No.10065308]

>>10065244

I am in the same boat. But the people on this board just want to make quips instead of helping us.

:(

[Anonymous No.10065314]

>>10065301
what sort of pictures would you recommend anon
i just want to fit in

[Anonymous No.10065318]

>>10065290
And I'll also add:

Look up interpretations of what you read (it's not cheating)

Don't start with the Greeks or any philosophy unless you really want to, otherwise you'll be bored to tears. I recommend the lit beginning chart. Shakespeare and Dostoevsky are good places to begin too.

Go to the sci wiki for math recommendations but khan academy is fine for beginners.

Look stuff up that you don't understand! Read essays too. Also make sure it's fun but not mindless and masturbatory like video games

[Anonymous No.10065326]

>>10065244
You can't become "intelligent," but you can become knowledgeable. Start with whatever is interesting to you.

[Anonymous No.10065333]

>>10065244
>>10065308
Honestly novels. They're easy to read but still can be very intelligent.

[Anonymous No.10065337]

>>10065314
Either hot girls or stacks of books you'll never read

[Anonymous No.10065339]

>>10065244
Swallow the Proustpill

[Anonymous No.10065347]

>>10065244
>>10065308
The fucking sticky, lads. Before the mods added all that crap about /pol/ it used just link you to the wiki which is chock full of recommendations by subject, region, and even starter packs.
You go there and you don't come back til you realize you need to relate some knowledge from your reading. Not coming back at all is even better. The wiki is the best thing on this board for anyone with dedication and you need nothing else from here.

[Anonymous No.10065349]

3 years ago I was 19 and knew no math past FOIL and arithmetic and had only read fantasy pleb shit.

Now I'm in engineering at university, have done calc 1-3, am in linear/differentials, and have read The Bible, Plato, Aristotle, Aeschylus, Euripedes, Sophocles, Homer, and Melville (planning on reading Shakespeare this summer, classes are way too difficult this year). It's really damn amazing looking back and realizing what you can accomplish if you actually dedicate yourself. I'm looking forward to the next 10 years or so if I can keep it up.

I recommend just ordering some basic math books off of Amazon and taking your time. Go to uni if you want but realize it is extremely stressful. Swokowski and Cole is a good start for pre-calc

[Anonymous No.10065406]

>>10065349
>a portrait of the artist as a young pleb

[Anonymous No.10065411]

>>10065314
I recommend maxposting

[Anonymous No.10065417]

>>10065244
Start with the Greeks dumb frogposter.

[Anonymous No.10065723]

>>10065349
I get that you're an engineer so math is important for you on a practical level, but I doubt the benefit of doing math on your own as a hobby outweighs the benefits of reading. Without an instructor I doubt most people could get beyond calc 1

[Anonymous No.10065728]

>>10065244

Start with Yoko Taro's games, Undertale, Ico, and Shadow of the Colossus. Then start reading.

[Anonymous No.10065732]

>>10065257
ha, what a classic

[Anonymous No.10065733]

>>10065244
Intelligence is mostly genetic. The best you can do is eat healthy and exercise regularly.

[Anonymous No.10065734]

>>10065723
>Without an instructor I doubt most people could get beyond calc 1

Most people can barely read Stephen King. Maths is not so difficult as shitty High School classes made you think

[Anonymous No.10065735]

>>10065723
>Without an instructor I doubt most people could get beyond calc 1
I never go to my math lectures since the classes are 1000 people at my university. Everything is self-taught from a textbook.

Also, math is good for your mind, just as reading is, and is the foundation for understanding the world through physics and chemistry.

[Anonymous No.10065739]

>>10065735
Different Anon, have you ever come across fuzzy set theory? I've picked up a book on it and it appears very interesting to me as a programmer

[Anonymous No.10065747]

>>10065244
Start with some genre fiction that you'd like. Whether it's fantasy, action, historical fiction, or what have you. Research, find some that look neat, and do some reading. Can't put down the games long enough to get into a book? Take the book and go somewhere, away from your computer/peasant consoles, then sit down and read. If it's not too cold out, sit at the base of a tree in a park.

Once you've gotten through some books of genre fiction so that you can see that reading can be fun and informative, keep up the momentum and try some non-fiction. In my case, I love history. I found that I can learn quite a bit from historical fiction provided I research things to make sure it's historically accurate, so I got some historical non-fiction including Stalingrad: The Infernal Cauldron by Stephen Walsh I think it was. Fascinating stuff, great read. As you read more, you'll likely discover more interests that you didn't know you had, so just keep branching out.

For now, since you're a self-confessed brainlet, I suggest starting easy with genre fiction. Consider them your rodents of unusual size. Level up on them, have fun, and when you're ready start going for more intellectually-driven works. Good luck, and God speed.

[Anonymous No.10065749]

>>10065739
Sorry lad, that's still beyond me

[Anonymous No.10065769]

>>10065244
shut off the internet

[Anonymous No.10065847]

>>10065769
Probably good advice. I think too much screen-time, regardless of what you're doing, it a big problem today.

[Anonymous No.10066096]

>>10065244
If you're a brainlet, try these

If you're serious, start with the Greeks

If you want a meme, start with the Sumerians

[Anonymous No.10066538]

>>10066096
I was going to post this.

OP, this "starter kit" is good because these are books that we hold in high regard but that are not too difficult to read. They will help you get back into the actual activity of reading.

[Anonymous No.10066547]

>>10066538
>vonnegut
>high regard
>le reddit man

Otherwise, okay list.

[Anonymous No.10066563]

>>10065244

Just because intelligent people like books doesn't mean books will make you intelligent.

The funny thing is, the literary world- at the highest echelons!- is full of people like you.

[Anonymous No.10066663]

nothing wrong with video games

[Anonymous No.10066685]

>>10066663
They quickly become all that you are pretty quickly though.

[Anonymous No.10066719]

>>10065769
Best .
Then do the starter chart

[Anonymous No.10066726]

>>10065260

It will if you actually struggle and succeed at comprehending a difficult text.

[Anonymous No.10066734]

>become intelligent
You already failed.

[Anonymous No.10066737]

>>10065290
>doing math

I've seen a good math primer posted on this board before. Does anyone have a goes as to what it might be?

[Anonymous No.10066927]

>>10066737
Sci wiki