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This daily digest of intellectual challenge and learning will arouse curiosity, refresh knowledge, expand horizons, and keep the mind sharp. Millions of Americans keep bedside books of prayer and meditative reflection--collections of daily passages to stimulate spiritual thought and advancement. This is a secular version of the same--a collection of 365 short lessons that will inspire and invigorate the reader every day of the year. Each daily digest of wisdom is drawn from one of seven fields of knowledge: history, literature, philosophy, mathematics and science, religion, fine arts, and music. The goal is to refresh knowledge we've forgotten, make new discoveries, and exercise modes of thinking that are ordinarily neglected once our school days are behind us.--From publisher description.… (more)
I listen to one day every morning on my morning commute. I cannot say my motivation has to do with and desire to roam with the cultured class, however, this little work is providing a daily fix for a personal addiction of a ravenous sense of curiosity. ( )
The breadth of this collection of short devotional pieces ensures that there will be some moments of lasting interest. There is also a certain amount of chaff that at best may spur one to further investigation about a particular subject. ( )
Areg and I are supplementing our sometimes hilariously bad page-a-day history calendar with this book in the evening. So far it's given us more interesting conversations than the calendar has.
Update: Definitely fun, if a bit Euro-centric. ( )
Even as a child I've felt that my education was missing something -- focus, organization, continuity... I'm not really sure what, but I seem to always be looking for a way to fill in the gaps. "The Intellectual Devotional" is one of many books I've acquired that claim to do just that -- and so far, it is pretty disappointing. The back cover says it will "keep your mind sharp and refresh your spirit", but I don't think it does either of those things. For one thing, each subject is very short. One page per subject -- so one can expect only superficial knowledge. Another thing is that I don't think there were more than maybe 3 or 4 subjects (in the 365 lessons) that I didn't already know something about. This isn't to brag, it's just that the subjects are so broad and well-known, that you aren't learning much more than you already knew about say, Louis XIV of France, or "Waiting for Godot". It covers 7 field of study (you read one page a day, and in a week you've covered 7 subjects--I decided to read 7 pages a day instead just to finish the book), but the readings are not placed in any order as far as chronology or development or themes go. So, for example, the first week you read about 1) the Alphabet, 2) "Ulysses", 3) Lascaux Cave Paintings, 4) Cloning, 5) The Basics of Music, 6) Appearance and Reality, and 7) Torah. There is no connection between the subjects. If you take one subject, say, Science, and read just that subject each day, you get: Cloning, Eratosthenes, The Solar System, The Greenhouse Effect, and so on. You see what I mean? I think this book is best used as a way to review for a game of "Jeopardy". ( )
This daily digest of intellectual challenge and learning will arouse curiosity, refresh knowledge, expand horizons, and keep the mind sharp. Millions of Americans keep bedside books of prayer and meditative reflection--collections of daily passages to stimulate spiritual thought and advancement. This is a secular version of the same--a collection of 365 short lessons that will inspire and invigorate the reader every day of the year. Each daily digest of wisdom is drawn from one of seven fields of knowledge: history, literature, philosophy, mathematics and science, religion, fine arts, and music. The goal is to refresh knowledge we've forgotten, make new discoveries, and exercise modes of thinking that are ordinarily neglected once our school days are behind us.--From publisher description.
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From Amazon: This daily digest of intellectual challenge and learning will arouse curiosity, refresh knowledge, expand horizons, and keep the mind sharp.
Millions of Americans keep bedside books of prayer and meditative reflection—-collections of daily passages to stimulate spiritual thought and advancement. The Intellectual Devotional is a secular version of the same—-a collection of 365 short lessons that will inspire and invigorate the reader every day of the year. Each daily digest of wisdom is drawn from one of seven fields of knowledge: history, literature, philosophy, mathematics and science, religion, fine arts, and music.
Impress your friends by explaining Plato’s Cave Allegory, pepper your cocktail party conversation with opera terms, and unlock the mystery of how batteries work. Daily readings range from important passages in literature to basic principles of physics, from pivotal events in history to images of famous paintings with accompanying analysis. The book’s goal is to refresh knowledge we’ve forgotten, make new discoveries, and exercise modes of thinking that are ordinarily neglected once our school days are behind us. Offering an escape from the daily grind to contemplate higher things, The Intellectual Devotional is a great way to awaken in the morning or to revitalize one’s mind before retiring in the evening.
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