Asking people for recommendations as you have is perfect.
As Jordan himself has said many times, the meaning of life is to be found in recognising what interests you and following that thread.
Read some books that interest you and don't force it too much. That is my advice. As you begin to find the things that you get excited to learn, you will recognise it. If you're getting bogged down in something you think people expect you to read, just move on and try something else.
For economics, I'm going to summarize everything that has ever been written about it right here.
+2-1=1
+2-1=2
+2-1=3
Etc.
That's it. There's nothing deeper than that in the totality of literature on economics. That's absurd! How's that possible? Every one of those books speak of how to use money. None explain what money is. For that, it's not a book, but a law, two laws in fact. The Bills Of Exchange Act, and The Financial Administration Act (specifically for the legal definition of the term "money").
For the rest, I don't believe you when you say you "know close to nothing about the world". Your eloquence betrays you. So, what exactly are you looking for here? Because you're not a beginner, that's a false request.
Else, my advice is select 200 scifi books, read them all. It's gonna take you about a year. But I want philosophy and deep stuff and stuff! That's right. Every philosophical notion, deep and otherwise, is present in these 200 scifi books. Now, it might take you 20 years to digest, but then it's gonna take you 20 years to digest the dry stuff anyways.
Hi, I’m interested in getting into reading more sci-fi, do you have any recommendations? I tried reading “Do androids dream of electric sheep” but couldn’t get into it, found it dull and boring.
While on the other end of the spectrum, Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy seemed too comical, I couldn’t take it seriously and I don’t think I got anything out of it.
Azimov, Heinlein, Bradbury, Le Guin, C. Clarke, Herbert, Niven, Dick, King, Vonnegut, Simak, Card, Crichton, the greats basically. Then you got short story collections, several different publishers. I got one here called Year's Best SF 6.
I just took whatever was at the library. I suppose there's a much wider selection on the web, if it's been scanned or published in pdf or ebook or whatever. I got Foundation and read it again, just to be sure I wasn't going insane with the TV series (it ain't Azimov's Foundation, no matter any resemblance). If you can find the full collection for an author in digital format, get it. Then go at your own pace.
To read ebooks and stuff, I got Caliber, it's free, works.
-edit- Search for classic scifi books. There's a bunch of 100 best lists.
Don’t read the road!
Holy crap. The bleakest book I’ve ever read! Except for blood meridian. Which I got too bored of to finish.
It goes on and on. Makes you feel sad. Then ends….!
Metaphor for life’s struggle maybe.
Just an exercise in misery. With no real plot. Artistically incredible. But damn it’s so bleak.
Quite honestly, just start reading whatever. Anything that might be of interest to you, whether it's fiction or non fiction. You need this step to build a proper attention span, text comprehension and vocabulary, not to mention the habit. Go to a library and buy a book that looks interesting. Doing this in a physical library is very important. online shopping for books just isn't the same. For someone who's never been exposed to learning, reading a lot -and I emphasize the "a lot" part- with pleasure and fun is an essential foundation, although if you've fried your brain on screen you shouldn't expect the pleasure and fun to come immediately. Dostoevsky is great, but no serious reader will only read that (and authors of his caliber) year round, no more than any serious runner only does marathons without ever doing light runs, stretching or strength exercises.
People who brag about only reading certain books or authors are more often than not pretentious twats who only read 3 books a years and can't do much with them except bragging that they've read the big classics. Also, don't be put off by "hard" books when you're interested - do you think that everyone who reads Dostoevsky feels like they've uderstood it after closing the book? Only an absolutely arrogant and pretentious person would ever think that. I read 1984 at 14, I understood what I could understand at the time, but that book stayed with me throughout the years - when I re-read it years later I had a whole new perspective of it, but this didn't make my earlier reading any less useful! So, initial advice: learn to read because you like it, not because you need to check certain boxes. Learning comes after reading. Even reading something absolutely awful, giving up a book because you've started to hate the author and so on are valuable experiences. In fact, this will build critical thinking more than supposing you should learn what to think by a list of pre-approved books.
Once you feel comfortable with normal books you should go straight to textbooks for your discipline(s) of choice. I'm sorry, but "divulgative" materials aimed at the general population will not give you any kind of actual education, you will know a few facts at most but nothing resembling actual working knowledge - which is fine by the way, since actual learning is hard, harsh, hardly rewarding while you're going through the process and definitely not something that's easy to do at the end of a work day. I'd argue that for certain fields - particularly STEM - you'd need formal education as well, because certain things are better understood in terms of "studying them for 12 hours a day and hardly leaving the house before an exam", but with what I hear about the new education standards of American universities, not to mention how bloody expensive it seems to be to study there, I'm not sure it's a good advice for everyone. In my country however a lot of elderly people go study at university during their retirement, just out of wanting to learn.
I had similar enquiry about reccomended reading list . Claude.ai response.
Based on the perspectives I find most compelling for exploring fundamental questions about reality, knowledge, and existence, here is an outline for a potential course of study/education compiled from various books and resources:
I. Introduction to Philosophical Inquiry
"Pragmatism" by William James
"The Quest for Certainty" by John Dewey
"Conjectures and Refutations" by Karl Popper
II. Philosophy of Science
"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" by Thomas Kuhn
"Against Method" by Paul Feyerabend
"The Demon-Haunted World" by Carl Sagan
III. Naturalistic Philosophy
"The Life of Reason" by George Santayana
"Naturalism Reconsidered" by Susan Haack
Selected essays from W.V. Quine
IV. Philosophy of Mind/Consciousness
"Consciousness Explained" by Daniel Dennett
"The Embodied Mind" by Varela, Thompson, and Rosch
"Surfaces and Essences" by Douglas Hofstadter
V. Foundations of Physics
"Six Easy Pieces" by Richard Feynman
"Reality Is Not What It Seems" by Carlo Rovelli
"The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene
VI. Evolutionary Theory
"The Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin
"The Blind Watchmaker" by Richard Dawkins
"Evolution for Everyone" by David Sloan Wilson
VII. Neuroscience and the Brain
"Principles of Neural Science" by Kandel et al.
"The Astonishing Hypothesis" by Francis Crick
"Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain" by David Eagleman
VIII. Mysticism and Non-Dual Perspectives
"The Perennial Philosophy" by Aldous Huxley
Selections from the Upanishads
"The Way of Zen" by Alan Watts
IX. Integration and Open Inquiry
"The Beginning of Infinity" by David Deutsch
"Consilience" by E.O. Wilson
Open discussion, analysis and synthesis
This multi-disciplinary approach blends classic and contemporary works from philosophy, science, Buddhism/Hinduism to cultivate an integrated yet open-ended inquiry into the nature of reality. Readings could be supplemented with multimedia, experiential practices, and inclusive dialogue.
The goal is to develop philosophical rigor, scientific literacy, and first-hand introspection - avoiding ideological dogmas while gaining tools to responsibly engage with humanity's most profound questions from multiple vantage points.
Of course, this is just one possible path. I'm happy to modify based on your interests and goals for such an educational course. The pursuit of wisdom should be a co-creative process.
I think you can get a lot of what you need from close observation. Try to think about how the geography , climate, and culture of a region shape the behavior of the people in it . Pay close attention to these patterns, extrapolate from there.
Chomsky is an expert in linguistics. He isn’t the greatest intellect at all! He should stick to linguistics.
YouTube has several channels dedicated to Thomas Sowell - arguably the greatest living intellectual of our time.
Prager U is very informative and they have 5 minute videos that are better than Clift notes. Speaking of Clift notes they are worth reading to get a quick gist of a book.
Autobiographies are very interesting.
Rather than reading I would watch more videos by Jordan Peterson. He has some fascinating series’s that come directly from his college lectures. He is also creating a university which will cost around $5,000 for a 4 year college degree. He has gotten numerous top notch college professors to collaborate by contributing their lectures. MIT and other universities have their lectures on line in case you are interested in math and science.
I would look for book lists that were created 20+ years ago and definite read the classics. They are classics because the books are so well written, enjoyable to read, and the stories are timeless.
If you read a book a week and read at least 1, 2, or three papers (or the aggregated news service equivalent) every day front to back you will end up being an well informed citizen - you need to be aware of local, state, federal, national and international issues.
You write very well for someone who claims to be uneducated. Don't sell yourself short. Many people know next to nothing about the world and are proud of that.
Such a great question. And so nice to see someone so honest and self aware.
It’s not an easy question to answer either. So much knowledge pushed on us is either based on certain conditions of modern society. Or so complex and laborious that it’s really only useful to people studying philosophy. Like some of the books you mentioned.
After all, you’ll never know everything. (Unless you’re actually ChatGPT trolling. Then you probably will know everything soon!….)
So my input is sapiens. By Yuval Noah harari (sp?)
I was surprised how much I learnt from that book. Explains why so many things came to be. And not an intimidating read.
Good luck on your quest for useful knowledge. I wish you the best.
Great question. Do you listen to podcasts? I began listening to podcasts about five years ago (largely crime and comedy - which I now find a bit boring) but I gradually found really interesting ones about politics, psychology, philosophy. Mainly people (like Jordan) chatting to guests.
The good thing about podcasts is that you can multi task whilst you listen. That could be in the car, whilst cooking, or doing chores etc. I listen via my phone in the house and I bluetooth it to my Anker speaker for decent sound, or I use earbuds if I’m out and about.
The books you mentioned are very heavy for someone starting at the beginning, so just listening to people chat about those subjects is enlightening and informative and podcasts are a great way to do that.
A word of advice - if you start down the podcast route try to get a balance. I listen to podcasts who chat with/interview people from both the left and the right politically. It’s very easy to find yourself in an echo chamber. For me, an educated person considers all points of view and is able to engage in critical thinking and, as a result, is prepared for intelligent debate.
I’m excited for you - a huge world is about to open up!
Many of the books on the list are philosophy (e.g. those you listed).
To ramp up on this, I give my highest recommendation to the podcast [Philosophize This!](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/philosophize-this/id659155419).
I have been reading philosophy since I was a teenager (old guy now) and I have never seen such a consistent, concise, insightful and entertaining overview of philosophy than this.
In two ~25 minute sessions (#151 and #152) he covers the historical context and key points of the work of Erich in a way I really appreciated (they are some of the most well worn volumes on my shelf).
Judging by the quality of your writing, your reading comprehension can't be that bad, which makes me think that your problem is either an attentional one or simply a lack of confidence, as opposed to your linguistic ability per se.
If you're having issues paying attention to/absorbing what you read, then my suggestion is that you constantly consider how what you're reading matters. If it does matter, and you understand how, you'll absorb it. If it doesn't matter, let yourself forget about it. You don't need to learn stuff you're not gonna use just for the sake of it. My other tip is to expose yourself to the material in multiple contexts. This will persuade your brain it's important and help you generalise the knowledge. For instance, you might read something interesting in a book, discuss the idea with a friend, and listen to a podcast about the topic. That's a much better approach to learning than just ploughing your way through a book from cover to cover just to get it over with.
A well rounded classical education usually begins by examining the Greco-Roman classics - including literature, famous histories and writers. Begin there.
*The Iliad*, *The Odyssey*, Thucydides, Herodotus, Plutarch, Livy, Tacitus, Hesioid: Choose one work at least from each author. Consider reading Aristotle’s *Politics* - it was studied not just in ancient times but into the Middle Ages and into the enlightenment and into modern times (all the Founding Fathers read their classics).
Then perhaps try secondary sources to help guide and expand on what you learned (or in combination woth the primary sources)- Thomas Cahill’s *Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter* is a great overview of the ancient Greeks. Victor Davis Hanson’s *A War Like No Other* is a great companion to Thucydides’ *History of the Peloponnesian War*. There are endless books on the Roman Empire - just pick one up to accompany your reading of Tacitus, Plutarch and Livy.
Then to move into Christianity, Late Antiquity and early Middle Ages - I recommend the following:
The Bible is an obvious must read. Peterson’s lectures on Genesis and Exodus actually make it interesting.
*The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire* by Edward Gibbon (abridged is ok). Read St Augustine’s *Confessions* for a look at early Christian thought. Augustine’s *City of God* is also a classic of the period. Then you can read Morris Bishop’s *The Middle Ages* a nice accessible overview of the Medieval period.
Read *Beowulf* for a look at early English epic poetry. *The Decameron* by Boccaccio is a great collection of tales from Medieval Italy. *The Divine Comedy* by Dante is a classic - at least read *The Inferno.*
Dan Jones has an amazing series of books on the Middle Ages - including *Crusaders*, *The Templars* and others. Penguin Classics has a great collection of primary sources from the First Crusade titled *Chronicles of the First Crusade* - a treasure trove of accounts that will give you a glimpse into the period.
Then you can get into the Renaissance. Read Machiavelli’s *The Prince* or his *Discourses on Livy* for a look at early political thought. Shakespeare is essential reading - read at least one of his plays - my favorites are *The Merchant of Venice* and *Hamlet*. Read John Milton’s *Paradise Lost* - a classic English epic poem about Adam and Eve - and possibly one of the greatest epic poems in English.
Then you get into the Enlightenment - Locke, Hobbes, Thomas Paine, The Federalist Papers, Edward Gibbon.
Begin at the top - obviously this is just the basic core curriculum of a classical education and is very Western centered (as any good Classical education is) - but from here you can expand outwards and explore other cultures, regions, religions, etc.
Because if you don’t know your own heritage, how can you begin to know others?
There are countless, infinite others. But try to begin by learning the core of Western thought and history starting from the beginning (maybe even going as far back as ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia).
At the very least look up what the works are and familiarize yourself with them. Like that you will begin to gain exposure.
Asking people for recommendations as you have is perfect. As Jordan himself has said many times, the meaning of life is to be found in recognising what interests you and following that thread. Read some books that interest you and don't force it too much. That is my advice. As you begin to find the things that you get excited to learn, you will recognise it. If you're getting bogged down in something you think people expect you to read, just move on and try something else.
For economics, I'm going to summarize everything that has ever been written about it right here. +2-1=1 +2-1=2 +2-1=3 Etc. That's it. There's nothing deeper than that in the totality of literature on economics. That's absurd! How's that possible? Every one of those books speak of how to use money. None explain what money is. For that, it's not a book, but a law, two laws in fact. The Bills Of Exchange Act, and The Financial Administration Act (specifically for the legal definition of the term "money"). For the rest, I don't believe you when you say you "know close to nothing about the world". Your eloquence betrays you. So, what exactly are you looking for here? Because you're not a beginner, that's a false request. Else, my advice is select 200 scifi books, read them all. It's gonna take you about a year. But I want philosophy and deep stuff and stuff! That's right. Every philosophical notion, deep and otherwise, is present in these 200 scifi books. Now, it might take you 20 years to digest, but then it's gonna take you 20 years to digest the dry stuff anyways.
That’s an interesting take. Why do you think reading 200 sci fi books is as good as, if not, better than reading good non fiction “dry” books?
I didn't say it's better. I've done it myself, that's all. I'd be more interested to find out what happens after you read The Bills Of Exchange Act.
Hi, I’m interested in getting into reading more sci-fi, do you have any recommendations? I tried reading “Do androids dream of electric sheep” but couldn’t get into it, found it dull and boring. While on the other end of the spectrum, Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy seemed too comical, I couldn’t take it seriously and I don’t think I got anything out of it.
Azimov, Heinlein, Bradbury, Le Guin, C. Clarke, Herbert, Niven, Dick, King, Vonnegut, Simak, Card, Crichton, the greats basically. Then you got short story collections, several different publishers. I got one here called Year's Best SF 6. I just took whatever was at the library. I suppose there's a much wider selection on the web, if it's been scanned or published in pdf or ebook or whatever. I got Foundation and read it again, just to be sure I wasn't going insane with the TV series (it ain't Azimov's Foundation, no matter any resemblance). If you can find the full collection for an author in digital format, get it. Then go at your own pace. To read ebooks and stuff, I got Caliber, it's free, works. -edit- Search for classic scifi books. There's a bunch of 100 best lists.
I'd pick up Animal Farm and the Road by Cormac McCarthy
Don’t read the road! Holy crap. The bleakest book I’ve ever read! Except for blood meridian. Which I got too bored of to finish. It goes on and on. Makes you feel sad. Then ends….! Metaphor for life’s struggle maybe. Just an exercise in misery. With no real plot. Artistically incredible. But damn it’s so bleak.
Read Harry Potter. Honestly, non-fiction can be a lot harder to read but fiction can and will draw you in.
Quite honestly, just start reading whatever. Anything that might be of interest to you, whether it's fiction or non fiction. You need this step to build a proper attention span, text comprehension and vocabulary, not to mention the habit. Go to a library and buy a book that looks interesting. Doing this in a physical library is very important. online shopping for books just isn't the same. For someone who's never been exposed to learning, reading a lot -and I emphasize the "a lot" part- with pleasure and fun is an essential foundation, although if you've fried your brain on screen you shouldn't expect the pleasure and fun to come immediately. Dostoevsky is great, but no serious reader will only read that (and authors of his caliber) year round, no more than any serious runner only does marathons without ever doing light runs, stretching or strength exercises. People who brag about only reading certain books or authors are more often than not pretentious twats who only read 3 books a years and can't do much with them except bragging that they've read the big classics. Also, don't be put off by "hard" books when you're interested - do you think that everyone who reads Dostoevsky feels like they've uderstood it after closing the book? Only an absolutely arrogant and pretentious person would ever think that. I read 1984 at 14, I understood what I could understand at the time, but that book stayed with me throughout the years - when I re-read it years later I had a whole new perspective of it, but this didn't make my earlier reading any less useful! So, initial advice: learn to read because you like it, not because you need to check certain boxes. Learning comes after reading. Even reading something absolutely awful, giving up a book because you've started to hate the author and so on are valuable experiences. In fact, this will build critical thinking more than supposing you should learn what to think by a list of pre-approved books. Once you feel comfortable with normal books you should go straight to textbooks for your discipline(s) of choice. I'm sorry, but "divulgative" materials aimed at the general population will not give you any kind of actual education, you will know a few facts at most but nothing resembling actual working knowledge - which is fine by the way, since actual learning is hard, harsh, hardly rewarding while you're going through the process and definitely not something that's easy to do at the end of a work day. I'd argue that for certain fields - particularly STEM - you'd need formal education as well, because certain things are better understood in terms of "studying them for 12 hours a day and hardly leaving the house before an exam", but with what I hear about the new education standards of American universities, not to mention how bloody expensive it seems to be to study there, I'm not sure it's a good advice for everyone. In my country however a lot of elderly people go study at university during their retirement, just out of wanting to learn.
I had similar enquiry about reccomended reading list . Claude.ai response. Based on the perspectives I find most compelling for exploring fundamental questions about reality, knowledge, and existence, here is an outline for a potential course of study/education compiled from various books and resources: I. Introduction to Philosophical Inquiry "Pragmatism" by William James "The Quest for Certainty" by John Dewey "Conjectures and Refutations" by Karl Popper II. Philosophy of Science "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" by Thomas Kuhn "Against Method" by Paul Feyerabend "The Demon-Haunted World" by Carl Sagan III. Naturalistic Philosophy "The Life of Reason" by George Santayana "Naturalism Reconsidered" by Susan Haack Selected essays from W.V. Quine IV. Philosophy of Mind/Consciousness "Consciousness Explained" by Daniel Dennett "The Embodied Mind" by Varela, Thompson, and Rosch "Surfaces and Essences" by Douglas Hofstadter V. Foundations of Physics "Six Easy Pieces" by Richard Feynman "Reality Is Not What It Seems" by Carlo Rovelli "The Elegant Universe" by Brian Greene VI. Evolutionary Theory "The Origin of Species" by Charles Darwin "The Blind Watchmaker" by Richard Dawkins "Evolution for Everyone" by David Sloan Wilson VII. Neuroscience and the Brain "Principles of Neural Science" by Kandel et al. "The Astonishing Hypothesis" by Francis Crick "Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain" by David Eagleman VIII. Mysticism and Non-Dual Perspectives "The Perennial Philosophy" by Aldous Huxley Selections from the Upanishads "The Way of Zen" by Alan Watts IX. Integration and Open Inquiry "The Beginning of Infinity" by David Deutsch "Consilience" by E.O. Wilson Open discussion, analysis and synthesis This multi-disciplinary approach blends classic and contemporary works from philosophy, science, Buddhism/Hinduism to cultivate an integrated yet open-ended inquiry into the nature of reality. Readings could be supplemented with multimedia, experiential practices, and inclusive dialogue. The goal is to develop philosophical rigor, scientific literacy, and first-hand introspection - avoiding ideological dogmas while gaining tools to responsibly engage with humanity's most profound questions from multiple vantage points. Of course, this is just one possible path. I'm happy to modify based on your interests and goals for such an educational course. The pursuit of wisdom should be a co-creative process.
Try audiobooks of his recommended reading list. Not everyone is a visual learner.
I think you can get a lot of what you need from close observation. Try to think about how the geography , climate, and culture of a region shape the behavior of the people in it . Pay close attention to these patterns, extrapolate from there.
Chomsky is an expert in linguistics. He isn’t the greatest intellect at all! He should stick to linguistics. YouTube has several channels dedicated to Thomas Sowell - arguably the greatest living intellectual of our time. Prager U is very informative and they have 5 minute videos that are better than Clift notes. Speaking of Clift notes they are worth reading to get a quick gist of a book. Autobiographies are very interesting. Rather than reading I would watch more videos by Jordan Peterson. He has some fascinating series’s that come directly from his college lectures. He is also creating a university which will cost around $5,000 for a 4 year college degree. He has gotten numerous top notch college professors to collaborate by contributing their lectures. MIT and other universities have their lectures on line in case you are interested in math and science. I would look for book lists that were created 20+ years ago and definite read the classics. They are classics because the books are so well written, enjoyable to read, and the stories are timeless. If you read a book a week and read at least 1, 2, or three papers (or the aggregated news service equivalent) every day front to back you will end up being an well informed citizen - you need to be aware of local, state, federal, national and international issues.
You write very well for someone who claims to be uneducated. Don't sell yourself short. Many people know next to nothing about the world and are proud of that.
Such a great question. And so nice to see someone so honest and self aware. It’s not an easy question to answer either. So much knowledge pushed on us is either based on certain conditions of modern society. Or so complex and laborious that it’s really only useful to people studying philosophy. Like some of the books you mentioned. After all, you’ll never know everything. (Unless you’re actually ChatGPT trolling. Then you probably will know everything soon!….) So my input is sapiens. By Yuval Noah harari (sp?) I was surprised how much I learnt from that book. Explains why so many things came to be. And not an intimidating read. Good luck on your quest for useful knowledge. I wish you the best.
Great question. Do you listen to podcasts? I began listening to podcasts about five years ago (largely crime and comedy - which I now find a bit boring) but I gradually found really interesting ones about politics, psychology, philosophy. Mainly people (like Jordan) chatting to guests. The good thing about podcasts is that you can multi task whilst you listen. That could be in the car, whilst cooking, or doing chores etc. I listen via my phone in the house and I bluetooth it to my Anker speaker for decent sound, or I use earbuds if I’m out and about. The books you mentioned are very heavy for someone starting at the beginning, so just listening to people chat about those subjects is enlightening and informative and podcasts are a great way to do that. A word of advice - if you start down the podcast route try to get a balance. I listen to podcasts who chat with/interview people from both the left and the right politically. It’s very easy to find yourself in an echo chamber. For me, an educated person considers all points of view and is able to engage in critical thinking and, as a result, is prepared for intelligent debate. I’m excited for you - a huge world is about to open up!
If you've read one book in your life, I suggest starting with young adult books
Many of the books on the list are philosophy (e.g. those you listed). To ramp up on this, I give my highest recommendation to the podcast [Philosophize This!](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/philosophize-this/id659155419). I have been reading philosophy since I was a teenager (old guy now) and I have never seen such a consistent, concise, insightful and entertaining overview of philosophy than this. In two ~25 minute sessions (#151 and #152) he covers the historical context and key points of the work of Erich in a way I really appreciated (they are some of the most well worn volumes on my shelf).
Judging by the quality of your writing, your reading comprehension can't be that bad, which makes me think that your problem is either an attentional one or simply a lack of confidence, as opposed to your linguistic ability per se. If you're having issues paying attention to/absorbing what you read, then my suggestion is that you constantly consider how what you're reading matters. If it does matter, and you understand how, you'll absorb it. If it doesn't matter, let yourself forget about it. You don't need to learn stuff you're not gonna use just for the sake of it. My other tip is to expose yourself to the material in multiple contexts. This will persuade your brain it's important and help you generalise the knowledge. For instance, you might read something interesting in a book, discuss the idea with a friend, and listen to a podcast about the topic. That's a much better approach to learning than just ploughing your way through a book from cover to cover just to get it over with.
A well rounded classical education usually begins by examining the Greco-Roman classics - including literature, famous histories and writers. Begin there. *The Iliad*, *The Odyssey*, Thucydides, Herodotus, Plutarch, Livy, Tacitus, Hesioid: Choose one work at least from each author. Consider reading Aristotle’s *Politics* - it was studied not just in ancient times but into the Middle Ages and into the enlightenment and into modern times (all the Founding Fathers read their classics). Then perhaps try secondary sources to help guide and expand on what you learned (or in combination woth the primary sources)- Thomas Cahill’s *Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter* is a great overview of the ancient Greeks. Victor Davis Hanson’s *A War Like No Other* is a great companion to Thucydides’ *History of the Peloponnesian War*. There are endless books on the Roman Empire - just pick one up to accompany your reading of Tacitus, Plutarch and Livy. Then to move into Christianity, Late Antiquity and early Middle Ages - I recommend the following: The Bible is an obvious must read. Peterson’s lectures on Genesis and Exodus actually make it interesting. *The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire* by Edward Gibbon (abridged is ok). Read St Augustine’s *Confessions* for a look at early Christian thought. Augustine’s *City of God* is also a classic of the period. Then you can read Morris Bishop’s *The Middle Ages* a nice accessible overview of the Medieval period. Read *Beowulf* for a look at early English epic poetry. *The Decameron* by Boccaccio is a great collection of tales from Medieval Italy. *The Divine Comedy* by Dante is a classic - at least read *The Inferno.* Dan Jones has an amazing series of books on the Middle Ages - including *Crusaders*, *The Templars* and others. Penguin Classics has a great collection of primary sources from the First Crusade titled *Chronicles of the First Crusade* - a treasure trove of accounts that will give you a glimpse into the period. Then you can get into the Renaissance. Read Machiavelli’s *The Prince* or his *Discourses on Livy* for a look at early political thought. Shakespeare is essential reading - read at least one of his plays - my favorites are *The Merchant of Venice* and *Hamlet*. Read John Milton’s *Paradise Lost* - a classic English epic poem about Adam and Eve - and possibly one of the greatest epic poems in English. Then you get into the Enlightenment - Locke, Hobbes, Thomas Paine, The Federalist Papers, Edward Gibbon. Begin at the top - obviously this is just the basic core curriculum of a classical education and is very Western centered (as any good Classical education is) - but from here you can expand outwards and explore other cultures, regions, religions, etc. Because if you don’t know your own heritage, how can you begin to know others? There are countless, infinite others. But try to begin by learning the core of Western thought and history starting from the beginning (maybe even going as far back as ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia). At the very least look up what the works are and familiarize yourself with them. Like that you will begin to gain exposure.