I have no general knowledge

[BojackHorseman]

I'm probably ADHD as I was since I was a kid (just never was diagnosed but it's super obvious now, in fact a friend of mine got diagnosed and I tick all the boxes too)

This lead me to float through my scolarity and never really learn anything.

By pure general knowledge standards, I'm literally stupid, I know nothing about history, geography, science...

I know about pop culture (cinema, music, comics etc), but that's pretty much it.

I also think watching and reading about spirituality helped me develop something too, but I can't name it (and it probably doesn't show writing in my weak english)

But now I'm old and I notice I don't know anything about the world, and that actually matters too. Facts, practical things I can apply too (but this one's another topic I guess)

I'm too airy. I can flow in conversations but if any subject goes a tiny bit deep on history and science, I feel exposed and have to nod and try to learn something, or hear people namedrop things
 

As usual with my condition, the amount of things to learn/sources to chose from is daunting, so I'll ask something stupid :

 

tl;dr : consider someone having no general knowledge and wanting to get at least to know things about history and science on a surface level : what books (or videos) would you recommand?

Any other tips welcome.

 

 

[Bobby_2021]

Start with maps and countries. Check their system of governments, population, economy, location, climate, language etc. It's fun to learn.

Edited March 14 by Bobby_2021

[BojackHorseman]

Yeah it can be...thanks for the reframing, this narrows it down for me in a way already

[BipolarGrowth]

This is a good source for learning more on modern geopolitics as well as some history thrown in at relevant times. 

This is a great source to learn about medicine and human body functioning from a medical doctor presented in a rather entertaining way.

Brian Greene has some great book on physics that are written to be understood by the general population. https://www.amazon.com/Elegant-Universe-Superstrings-Dimensions-Ultimate/dp/039333810X

I could keep finding some recommendations, but I think the most important thing would be to find things you are naturally interested in. Reading some dense, boring books to become more knowledgeable can work, but how serious are you about gaining more general knowledge? Unless it’s one of your main life goals, I’d lean toward sticking with sources you enjoy or find entertaining. When learning naturally becomes a pastime for you, it’s going to most likely create more long term results for you than trying to brute force learning. 

 

My first impression on reading this is that you might be overplaying the role of ADHD. I could be totally wrong on this of course, as it is your life we’re talking about after all. I say this because I think limiting beliefs resulting from clinical diagnoses can do a lot of harm. I’ve also been diagnosed with ADHD. 
 

Maybe it is difficult for you to stay focused on one topic for a sustained period of time. This doesn’t mean you can’t become quite knowledgeable. If you have a lot of different sources to learn from, I’d think it’s fine to hop around rather than sticking to one. If you spend small spurts of time on learning from different sources, in a few years, you’ll probably have a pretty good general knowledge base. 
 

Find ways to make learning fun. 

[bebotalk]

Most people have cursory knowledge. 

[LoneWonderer]

Hey man just start. Documentaries are great for learning. Just start watching documentaries on anything and everything that you find interesting. With time and dedication you will just learn. I started out similar to you (even though I did have a really good education). I wanted to dedicate time to learn and for 7+ years I've watched thousands of documentaries on every subject imaginable and read 100s of non fiction books on every topic imaginable. I made the decision at 18 and now at 25 I'm extremely thankful for that decision.

[bebotalk]

Watch the news. 

Read reputable news website online. 

[BipolarGrowth]