How I improved intellectually

[Someone here]

When I go back and read my first posts on this forum I can't help but cringe at what I used to say and my worldview at the time . But thank goodness, for the two years I've been on this forum I consider myself improved and matured intellectually. And that is by doing three  things . And those are my advice to anyone who wants to improve intellectually :

 Number one , I would suggest you to start reading, as much as you can. Read books, fiction, biographies, anything and everything, Soon you will be on the right stuff. Start with topics that interest you, it is easier. Very Important : Read philosophy. it will be invaluable, you will know yourself, have control over yourself. You don't have to agree with the philosopher you are reading, in fact it is very important to have your own view while you are reading. JUST START READING. I read Kant ,Schopenhauer, Descartes etc and Im writing a book at the moment outlining my critique to their work .(I hope I can finish it soon and sell it on Amazon,  but I will definitely share it for free on this forum for everyone).
 The second thing is ..Explore things, ask questions, seek answers. Question absolutely everything. And I mean everything. Question life and death .Question the existence of the universe. How do you know anything is real ,etc become a cosmic skeptic that you don't take even breathing for granted.  When you do that ..you will actually increase your IQ and it will show in your writing .

Third thing .is to write .on paper or in the journal section or just by posting frequently on the forums .and you will notice radical improvements in your intellectual capacities. 

[UnbornTao]

Useful reminder, thanks.

One trap you can continually fall into is assuming that you're already open, which fundamentally seems to be just disguised closed-mindedness. That stance might be based on arrogance too, even if just in a subtle form. It might not be recognized as close-mindedness until you open up -- until the space or contrast for the recognition to take place is created. Or some such.  

Edited December 29, 2022 by UnbornTao

[Gesundheit2]

[Proserpina]

This is helpful since I struggle intellectually and want to improve my IQ.  Thanks! 

[Carl-Richard]

Something I've learned to do is to only speak about things that I'm very confident that I understand. I think it makes you comes off as smarter as well, even though that is not the point (I hope ?). It's a lesson in being comfortable with the limits of your own knowledge and being true to yourself. A side effect is that way you'll rarely get called out for not knowing what you're talking about, or walking back things you have said, or having trouble being understood (or understanding yourself). Generally, it makes your mind more ordered and less neurotic.

[Nilsi]

24 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

Something I've learned to do is to only speak about things that I'm very confident that I understand. I think it makes you comes off as smarter as well, even though that is not the point (I hope ?). It's a lesson in being comfortable with the limits of your own knowledge and being true to yourself. A side effect is that way you'll rarely get called out for not knowing what you're talking about, or walking back things you have said, or having trouble being understood (or understanding yourself). Generally, it makes your mind more ordered and less neurotic.

Just putting your thoughts out there and letting them be critiqued is one of the best ways to learn and grow. 

Unless you seriously present your thoughts to some audience, there is no upside in looking smart and being untouchable.

This is basically how talk therapy works, no? You put all your cards on the table and figure out what it means.

 

It will depend on what your goals are. If you want to double down on and strengthen your identity, it's a good idea to embody it as best you can (like Tate or Goggins, who fully live in their character), but if you're looking for truth and transformation, it will be a liability.

I'm always inspired by J. Krishnamurti's playful openness. He will talk in front of a huge audience or with serious intellectuals and all he does is earnestly inquire with the other into the nature of reality.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Nilsi

[Carl-Richard]

47 minutes ago, Nilsi said:

Just putting your thoughts out there and letting them be critiqued is one of the best ways to learn and grow.

You can do that by asking a question, but then your role is primarily listening. If you think you know the thing, you just speak about it. I'm advocating for clearly differentiating the contents of your mind, and that will be reflected in your actions. If you speak about something you know very little about while signalling that you're very confident, that would be a lie, and you end up confusing yourself and others. Essentially, you want clear signalling and a coherence between internal and external signals.

Edited December 28, 2022 by Carl-Richard

[Proserpina]

I think journalling (and not speaking in front of wide audience or asking a question) is good for those who are first starting out.  Who are just learning about the extents of their intellectual prowess and knowledge and experimenting with it and then from there they can expand and take it to the forums and ask questions etc.  Not everyone is at such an advanced stage as you are cognitively and intellectually.  Perhaps they have other strengths. 

Edited December 28, 2022 by Proserpina

[Nilsi]

10 minutes ago, Carl-Richard said:

You can do that by asking a question, but then your role is primarily listening. If you think you know the thing, you just speak about it. I'm advocating for clearly differentiating the contents of your mind, of making it more transparent to itself, and that will be reflected in your actions. If you speak about something you know very little about while signalling that you're very confident, that would be a lie, and you end up confusing yourself and others. Essentially, you want clear signalling and a coherence between internal and external signals.

I don't know anything and neither do you. 

I'm not saying don't act. If you want a good show, you have to be a good actor. I'm just saying when you leave the stage, it's okay to drop the act. 

If you want to pretend it's real though, you have to deny that you're just acting, so here we are.