THIS is not it...

[KevinQ]

A lot of people think that you are the way you are meant to be and there's no way to improve unless it's in your biological make-up. Now, as far as that goes: I do agree... to an extent. Many people believe that your current intelligence (or IQ) is fixed and there's not much one can do to change it. I like to look at the brain as an organ that can be improved in the same way that one's muscles can be trained, becoming stronger and bigger. Everyone is born with a fluid musculature, which changes in response to your environment. Some of us are "naturally" larger and stronger then others. But this certainly does not determine who has more potential. The one who is naturally weaker, may become stronger then the one who is naturally stronger. This can be achieved through exercise. We each have potential, some more so then others, but who knows which one? We each have our limits, but whatever those limits are is a mystery. There are various cases in history where a very bright successful student failed, where a previously not so bright person succeeded. Nothing is certain.

With that said, my goal is to become as smart as I can possibly become... I'm 19yrs old and I don't like where my life is headed. I'm willing to change it and I'll do anything and everything to make it happen. I have recently quit drinking alc. and smoking cigarettes. I plan to eat as healthy as possible and exercise - both physically and mentally.

I know a lot of what I need to do, but I need more information about anything and everything that can help me achieve my goal. So, does anyone have any advice, sites, books to read, things to do and so on and so forth... Please, your thoughts?

Thank you:)

Edited January 8, 2008 by KevinQ

[LiberTodd]

College?

[Mimpy]

You should read good books. I am assuming you are familiar with at least some of Ayn Rand's beliefs since you posted on this forum. First, read good philosophy. That way you will know how to think properly and defend yourself intellectually. Then, read whatever you wish, whatever interests you. That is one way of becoming smart.

Though I must ask, why the sudden change? And why do you, of all things, want to be smart?

[JMeganSnow]

It's better to be knowledgeable than smart. Smart only helps you out in a few very specialized areas where it's necessary to deal with vast complexities of information and have instant access to large amounts of remembered material, like in engineering, medicine, finance, and law. In other fields, it doesn't matter as much how smart you are as how much experience you have. Books are certainly an excellent way to gain valuable experience, but working hands-on is great, too. Go out and get the most complicated job you can, keep it until you know everything about it (six months to a year, depending) then look for a step up to a more complex job.

I am not personally an advocate of college being a blanket solution to anyone's self-improvement needs, but it is generally a good thing when you're young. College won't necessarily get you all the way to your goals, but it does appear to give you a leg up in the beginning when you need it, so you don't have to spend 10-20 years working your way up through the ranks the hard way and being unappreciated.

[KevinQ]

LiberTodd,

College?

University would be my pick.

Mimpy,

Though I must ask, why the sudden change?

What do you mean?

And why do you, of all things, want to be smart?

Don't you?

JMeganSnow,

It's better to be knowledgeable than smart.

I think I see what you mean. For instance, a kid can be seen as smart, but they aren't very knowledgeable. In another sense, a savant may seem to be extremely knowledgeable, but they aren't very smart.

I want to be both. I want to become like another Leonardo Da Vinci.

[aequalsa]

I know a lot of what I need to do, but I need more information about anything and everything that can help me achieve my goal. So, does anyone have any advice, sites, books to read, things to do and so on and so forth... Please, your thoughts?

Thank you:)

Outside of the obvious tactics to improve your knowledge levels like reading and what not, I suggest that the single most important element in accomplishing your goals is integration. Not only integrating the new ideas you come across in reading(second hand knowledge), but also and arguably more importantly integrating your experiences with all of your previously acquired knowledge. Learn to reduce those experiences to principles so that you can understand the connections in the vast amount of context necessary to make that knowledge useful.

Integration's importance is often over looked. Probably because of the emphasis of rote learning in school combined with the evaluation of intelligence based on the quantity of facts one possesses rather then the understanding of higher principles which can be quickly and usefully applied to new circumstance. What allows that flexibility of thought as well as increased recall is that process of connecting new knowledge to all old knowledge. So, in short, organizing your knowledge correctly with proper categorization and pruning for internal contradictions will assist you on a macro scale.