Intellectual Obesity

[Pierce Manhammer]

The Intellectual Obesity Crisis

Information addiction is rotting our brains

www.gurwinder.blog

Information overload has become an addiction.

 

[AmsterdamAssassin]

As a writer, this resonated with me:

The way I beat intellectual obesity was by trying to become the best writer I can be. Writing requires you to filter out bad information because you have a duty to your readers to not be full of ****. Writing also forces you to periodically shut out information altogether so you can be alone with your thoughts. This regular confrontation with yourself helps you keep your bearings in a world constantly trying to lure you away from your brain.

Writing makes you curious, but in my opinion the curiosity is restricted to the useful information that expands your mind and your writing, not just merely fills your mind with tripe.

 

[BeExcellent]

As a writer, this resonated with me:



Writing makes you curious, but in my opinion the curiosity is restricted to the useful information that expands your mind and your writing, not just merely fills your mind with tripe.

Edit ruthlessly; less is more. That is what I was constantly taught coming up as a writer (I hold an English degree among others with a creative writing emphasis).

Granted I am at times a bit lax around here, but good writing truly is becoming a lost art.

 

[Westminster]

Edit ruthlessly; less is more. That is what I was constantly taught coming up as a writer (I hold an English degree among others with a creative writing emphasis).

Granted I am at times a bit lax around here, but good writing truly is becoming a lost art.

Agreed. A lot of people who think they're good writers are verbose and over-complicate things.

But actually good writing is about being concise.

 

[BillyPilgrim]

This is what happens when you read too much. You think you're okay, but that one last knowledge nugget will get you every time.

 

[jaygreenb]

Agreed. A lot of people who think they're good writers are verbose and over-complicate things.

But actually good writing is about being concise.

Being able to explain something in a concise and clear manner is also a great way to determine if someone actually understands the subject too

 

[Scaramouche]

This is me 100%

Hi Muscles,
Sure it's you alright,but,I would observe it has been no load for you to carry!

 

[Scaramouche]

Being able to explain something in a concise and clear manner is also a great way to determine if someone actually understands the subject too

Hi Jay,
Sure,but we write to pursuade,and the more subtly that is done the better!

 

[Scaramouche]

Hi Billy,
"This is what happens when you read too much"....One only reads "too" much,when ones interests verge on the obsessive....You need sift through a lot of paydirt to find the elusive nugget you speak of.

 

[Scaramouche]

Hi Muscles,
Take a compliment,the expansion of your knowledge,your reading extensively,makes you more interesting,a valuable aspect of being charismatic LOL....Being dull,boring is a burden/load some carry.

 

[BaronOfHair]

The Intellectual Obesity Crisis

Information addiction is rotting our brains

www.gurwinder.blog

Information overload has become an addiction.

Both The Woke-genuflecting MSM and The Manosphere thrive off of this. Only difference between the two... The former trades in endlessly bemoaning the evils of an alleged White CIS Capitalistic Patriarchy, while the latter devotes almost all of it's energy towards lamenting our oppression at the hands of a Consumerist Gynocentric Social Order we're told lurks around every corner

Expecting either of those two to produce much in the way of concrete, tangible strategies for easing the material burdens of those who are in the greatest need is more futile than expecting The SFPD to finally arrest and successfully prosecute The Zodiac Killer anytime soon

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

The problem isn't just in the case of obvious stuff like tiktok/reels/shorts brain rot but this issue still occurs even if you're consuming lots of "high quality" content like various podcasts or whatever all day. It's just too much stimulation for your brain and you can't process it all and it gets overloaded. I have to imagine that source amnesia is plagueing a ton of people where they have some strange belief/opinion and they can't even remember where they got it from or they just hear some thing that reaffirms their belief and instead of taking in the data points they just say "see, I'm right" and don't make any conscious effort to internalize it.

 

[Pierce Manhammer]

The biggest issue I see these days is people are not getting their news from media outlets, because they no longer trust them. The preponderance of places online which are specific to certain ways of thinking are echo chambers and a large number people get their information from these sources which serve to only reinforce what they already believe etc

We’ve become intellectually lazy and do not challenge ourselves as much as we used to reading and investigating sources that are not aligned with our preconceived thoughts.

 

[Chow Mein]

Keep your work emails short and concise, get promoted.

Keep your texts short and concise, get laid.

My 8-second course on being successful with women available for $5 a month

 

[plumber]

the solution is to relax and discuss the issue; with beer.

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

The biggest issue I see these days is people are getting their news from media outlets, because they no longer trust them. The preponderance of places online which are specific to certain ways of thing are echo chambers and a large number people get their information from these sources which serve to only reinforce what they already believe etc

We’ve become intellectually lazy and do not challenge ourselves as much as we used to reading and investigating sources that are not aligned with our preconceived thoughts.

Yeah I'm sure most people get their "news" from Reddit, Youtube, instagram, curated feeds, basically electronic sycophants.

Personally I don't even try to have a "balanced" information diet anymore, I just avoid information in general. To this day I know absolutely nothing about the war in Ukraine nor do I truly know a damn thing about the entire israel/palestine conflict - it's just a waste of brain cells.

 

[BaronOfHair]

The biggest issue I see these days is people are not getting their news from media outlets, because they no longer trust them. The preponderance of places online which are specific to certain ways of thinking are echo chambers and a large number people get their information from these sources which serve to only reinforce what they already believe etc

We’ve become intellectually lazy and do not challenge ourselves as much as we used to reading and investigating sources that are not aligned with our preconceived thoughts.

Another way of thinking about all of this https://techliberation.com/2010/01/...t-debate-over-technology’s-impact-on-society/

 

[BillyPilgrim]

Agreed. A lot of people who think they're good writers are verbose and over-complicate things.

But actually good writing is about being concise.

Case in point - the world's worst acclaimed writer (David Foster Wallace) shot himself because he couldn't figure out how to shut up.

Keeping things simple may just save your life.

 

[Vanderdonck]

I try to read either books on the subject or long form magazine-type articles. Most news sites are looking for rage clicks and they frequently don't confirm what they report.

 

[ludovic991]

So, to avoid "intellectual obesity", be intentional about what you consume online, prioritize what's valuable, and take breaks from info overload. Clear communication is key, and sometimes, simple conversations lead to profound insights.