What you need to know for the general level of erudition. How to develop intelligence - the best exercises and advice from psychologists

Erudition - what is it? The word itself came to Russian and some other languages ​​​​from Latin and means enlightenment, learning, erudition and a sharp mind. An erudite person has a deep and broad knowledge of general educational subjects, he is able to think critically and logically, and also fully owns the specifics of his kind of activity. For example, an erudite jurist knows the law deeply and thoroughly, he has extensive knowledge regarding the socio-historical context of the law, he is also aware of the laws of other cultures. Erudition in a literary work includes knowledge and conclusions covering many different areas.

"From the point of view of banal erudition ..."

Taken out of context, the expression became quite popular and was intended to ridicule the excessive overload of scientific terminology with abstruse words in a number of texts. When exactly the phrase appeared, no one can answer for sure. We can only say with certainty that this funny expression is more than a dozen years old. With an ending, this sentence looks like this: “From the point of view of banal erudition, not every individual is able to ignore the tendencies of paradoxical abstractions.”

Repeating this phrase at a fast pace can be a great exercise for those who would like to practice oratory and improve their rhetorical skills. If you replace the complex scientific terms in the sentence, you can quite clearly see the meaning of the whole expression, namely: "Some people can see the meaning in non-existent and intangible things."

Thus, the word "erudition" does not have a special semantic load. Here it was not the meaning that was important, but the form. The first part of the expression can serve as a great start when answering any question.

General erudition

Erudition is the level of training and the amount of knowledge, as well as the high quality of intelligence and a fairly broad outlook. Not every educated person can be an erudite, but every erudite must be educated. A high level of erudition implies a certain stock of knowledge necessary for his professional suitability. When should not be limited to knowledge exclusively in one type of activity, an erudite is a diversified personality with deep knowledge in many other areas of life.

Erudition - what is it and how to improve it?

An important point is self-education and the ability to find the necessary information, and not just absorb what is taught in universities and other educational institutions.

Absolute erudition - what is it? In simple words, this is the highest form of knowledge, an unattainable ideal, which is still worth striving for. How can you improve your skill level?

Firstly, you should not limit yourself to knowledge in only one specific field of knowledge: expanding our horizons, we make the brain work more intensively, thereby increasing the level of intelligence.

Secondly, reading good literature and serious publications, and not the yellow press, visiting all kinds of scientific exhibitions and cultural events will be useful recommendations. When traveling, you should not only enjoy the local landscapes, but also be interested in the history and mythology of the country you are visiting.

Enlightenment comes from understanding

To become an erudite person, you need to constantly, ideally throughout your life, work on yourself. You need to read more and train your brain, increasing the intellectual level.

So all the same, erudition - what is it? When answering the question, it is important to understand that enlightenment is achieved not only by learning, but also by understanding what has been learned.

Intelligence is the general level of all human cognitive abilities. Its indicators are learning ability, and the degree of development of analytical abilities and imagination, and the quality of various types of memory.

The level of general erudition is directly related to the level of intelligence development, since only a person who is able to effectively assimilate and process new information, memorize for a long time and, importantly, be able to use this information later, can become erudite.

After all, one can hardly call an erudite a person whose knowledge is extensive and versatile, but at the same time unsystematic, not ordered.

This section contains materials on theories regarding human intelligence and erudition, tests to determine the level of intelligence, exercises to test your erudition, recommendations for their development.

In 2015, an experiment was conducted where the subjects tried to determine the IQ level of a person from a photograph. If in the situation with the guys everything was clear: for the most part, people guessed it correctly, then in the case of the girls, everything is not so simple. Most attributed higher intelligence to pretty girls, and underestimated the “simple” ones. The result was amazing.

Before you take your child on vacation with some business, you need to decide on the goal. It can be health improvement, rest, work or something else. It is important to take into account the nature and individual preferences of the child and not force him to do what is not interesting or difficult for him. In addition, being busy will help protect children from the negative influence of the street, where they can loiter ...

The rhythm of modern life is becoming so fast day by day that the most important and valuable skill of every person is the ability to competently and rationally allocate time. Everyone can do this, but not everyone can boast of the absence of "hands on work" at work and "blockages" at home. And if it seems that 24 hours fly by like one moment, and the work does not ...

Board games are a great opportunity to spend time not at computer monitors or TVs. Not only children of any age, but also their parents gather for an exciting activity. More and more new offers from representatives of the toy industry appear on sale, from the variety of which it is not easy to choose the best "boards" for children.

Every parent knows how hard it is sometimes to get a child to learn. There are many reasons for this: from banal childish restlessness to too much school workload. Children are especially reluctant to learn things that they do not understand. This includes the multiplication table. Incomprehensible combinations of numbers confuse kids, and children are no easier to focus on them than any adult ...

The intellect of the future is knowledge and creativity in human life. Modern scientific research, forecasts of scientists, ways of development (reading books, trainings, courses, independent research of problems and much more) and the importance of intelligence in people's lives. Possibility to download thematic presentations.

What is emotional intelligence. The role of emotional intelligence in people's lives. Why people with high IQs don't always succeed in life. Factors contributing to the development of emotional intelligence. Possibility to download thematic presentation.

Reading books is not only interesting, but also useful, because it contributes to development. But some books deserve special attention, as they help to noticeably improve intellectual abilities.

Top 10 best books to improve erudition:

1. "", Bill Bryson. This is a popular science work that covers the most popular areas of science in an accessible style for everyone. This is the most unusual encyclopedia, which, by the way, was awarded a prize for its contribution to the development of world science. In the UK and America, it has already become a real bestseller. According to the author himself, he wanted to write a simple book about complex things, and also to prove to all readers that knowledge can be acquired in an interesting and easy way. The "Brief History of Almost Everything" deals with such issues as the origin and development of the Universe, the potential and development of civilization, the nature of modern people, the origin of the planet, the probability of the Earth colliding with meteorites, as well as the most important discoveries of mankind.
2. "", Stanislav Muller. The author of this book and a Russian practicing psychologist believes that anyone can actually become a genius. But it's all about learning speed. If one person needs only a few minutes to master a skill, then another will have to work for hours. And such differences are associated with the degree of inclusion of the brain. So, if he works only at 3-5%, like all ordinary people, then the learning ability will be average. If more cells are involved, then the abilities are noticeably improved. For example, in very talented people, the brain works at 10%. But how to activate such cells? How to “pump” your brain and become a real genius? Special technologies for managing thinking processes will help in this. According to Stanislav Müller, it will help launch the so-called “superlearning state”, and for everyone without exception.
3. "Teach Yourself to Think: A Self-help Guide to Developing Thinking" by Edward de Bongo. According to the author, the human brain is a unique memory machine. But it can be turned into a more efficient mechanism of thinking. This book can be considered as a practical guide. Edward de Bongo proposed a ready-made working technology for improving the brain. It consists of five main steps. First you need to set a goal, then you need to analyze the situation, find means to achieve the goal and identify factors that can interfere. Next, you need to find solutions to problems and choose the best one. And then you can safely begin to act.
4. "", John Mitchinson, John Lloyd. The modern world is filled with a variety of literature, but most of it is simply useless. Many facts are wrong, and knowledge can be relative. And only Socrates was right when he claimed that he knew that he knew nothing. Modern people are often mistaken, but often afraid to admit it. It is worth reading The Book of General Fallacies, if only because it is incredibly interesting and at the same time easy. In addition, readers will be able to reduce their ignorance a little. There are 230 questions in the book, many of which were included in IQ tests. It also provides answers to them and detailed explanations of why everything is the way it is, and not otherwise.
5. « ", Mick O'Hair. There are questions that are of interest to almost everyone, but at the same time they baffle teachers, parents and even scientists. For example, why don't birds fall off branches when they fall asleep on them? Will bears be able to survive if they are relocated to Antarctica? Does bumblebee flight actually defy the laws of physics? Why is the sky so blue on clear days? Readers will find many of the most interesting discoveries, including answers to all of these questions, as well as the refutation of the most common myths.
6. "Why Elephants Can't Jump and 113 More Questions That Will Baffle Any Scientist" by Mick O'Hair. This book is a continuation of the previous one. The author of the book is the editor-in-chief of the popular scientific journal New Scientist, so he knows the answers to the most difficult questions. In his book, he will consider the most unusual of them (all of them, by the way, were sent by readers of the magazine). He will tell you why men need nipples, why facial expressions change so much when drinking bitter or sour, what the legendary phrase “Mix, but do not shake” means, what is the amount of human memory, at what maximum height butterflies can fly and so on. Such interesting information will definitely help you become smarter and more educated and increase your erudition.
7. "Why Bears Don't Run Downhill and 200 More Fascinating Facts to Explain" by Robert Enwood. According to the legend, the author of the book eavesdropped on the conversations of ordinary people in English pubs and tried to confirm or refute the most popular beliefs and statements. In his book, he will tell why dogs should not be fed chocolate, why a person becomes two centimeters lower at the end of the day, which fruits contain the most vitamins, can guinea pigs sweat, and can a swan break a person’s arm. The questions are funny and sometimes ridiculous, but the answers to some of them may surprise you. And, of course, you can show off your mind in any company.
8. "Why a panda stands on its head and other interesting stories" by Augustus Brown. The animal world is unique, amazing and deserves special attention. And to learn a little more about him will be very useful for erudition, because our smaller brothers have a lot to learn. And people often behave like animals, while even enjoying their wildness and passion. Representatives of the fauna are characterized by human feelings and even habits. They argue with previous generations, throw parties, play mafia and even have a penchant for homosexuality. The author writes about all this very easily and even with sarcasm and American humor.
9. "", Steven Juan. What could be more interesting, more useful and more informative than the study of one's own body and the functioning of the human body? This whole complex mechanism is a complete mystery with many processes occurring in it. And the essence of this machine is quite possible to disassemble. The author will tell you how a person is born and dies, what is the chance of getting sick in a critical situation, what is the probability of certain accidents. Moreover, Stephen Juan answers the most important questions easily and with humor.
10. "Who eats bees? 101 Answers to Seemingly Stupid Questions by Mick O'Hair. This author continues to collect the most unusual questions, and the answers to them are becoming more and more popular. And all of them concern the most different spheres of life which concern various spheres. The author will answer all of them, and easily and even charismatically. He will find out why tea changes color after adding lemon, why a cat may not even get injured if it falls from the tenth floor. Interesting? Then read the book and get enlightened!

These were the most useful books for the brain.

In the age of high technology, the mental abilities of a person are the basic foundation for success in life. The ability to quickly memorize and reproduce information, erudition, competence - all these features relate to the concept of "intelligence". Let's see what is meant by this term, and also learn how to develop intelligence.

The essence of the concept

For the first time, intelligence and its components were described by the German scientist Wilhelm Stern at the beginning of the 20th century. Then a lot of scales and methods for diagnosing mental abilities appeared, including the famous IQ test.

Intelligence is defined as a stable set of human mental abilities that allow him to adapt to the environment, learn and change it.

It is impossible to equate this concept with cognitive, mental abilities. They are only a working tool of the intellect.

The most detailed model for this term was proposed by the American psychologist Joy Paul Gilford. According to him, intelligence includes 120 factors.

All of them can be classified according to three indicators:

1. content (mental work of a person);
2. operations (method of information processing);
3. result.

The development of intelligence is possible if work is carried out on all these points. However, in ordinary life, a person can have many ideas that he analyzes in every possible way, but cannot put into practice. He just doesn't have the skill to do it. It is very important to know how to increase your intellectual level in all areas. But more on that later.

Charging for the mind

Let's consider in more detail how to develop intelligence with the help of special actions. Before moving on to specific examples, it should be noted that the development of intelligence is impossible without the ability to fully relax.

The human brain must be active, process a large amount of information. This is impossible without good sleep. Normally, 8 hours is enough for a person, but it all depends on individual characteristics. The main thing is that the individual feels rested and full of vital energy to improve his intellect and develop creativity.

In addition, active rest is also important. Hiking, running, cycling, swimming are ideal for this. At the same time, the head has the ability to temporarily disconnect from solving global problems.

And now let's go directly to the exercises and ways to develop the intellect:

• Board games

This is the most famous and ancient way to improve the mental abilities of a person. Playing chess, checkers and backgammon allows, involves intelligence and creativity. Thinking, memory, will, emotions are actively working here. The player logically plans his moves, trying to predict the opponent's response.

In addition to well-known games, intelligence and psychological board actions increase well. These include the games "Mafia", "Evolution", "Dixit" and others. In such games, not only knowledge is important, but to a greater extent communicative competence in order to convey your point of view to others, to feel the players.

• Puzzle

The name itself suggests that the brain will have to work. Puzzles include the Rubik's Cube, puzzles, solving crosswords and scanwords, mathematical and other riddles.

Thanks to this, it is possible to competently organize intellectual leisure for both adults and children. After all, it is very important to introduce the child to mental operations from childhood. When solving puzzles, the work of fine motor skills is also included, due to which the ratio of visual analysis, thought and action develops.

• art

Here, the relationship between intelligence and visual creativity is most clearly seen. While a person is engaged in creativity, the brain is actively working and can find solutions for very important tasks. This is also called insight or insight.

The fact is that when drawing and sculpting, an individual falls into a light trance state, renounces everyday life. This helps to activate the unconscious impulses that are responsible for brilliant ideas.

The ability to draw and sculpt in this sense does not matter. The main thing is to surrender to the creative process. You can simply draw spots and lines, paint a picture to a pleasant melody.

• Foreign languages

How to develop intelligence through the study of foreign languages ​​is clear to everyone. The more knowledge, the wider the field for their application. It's not the quantity that matters, but the quality.

A person should be interested in the language being studied and the very culture of a given country, find the consonance of words, compose poems, songs in this language. This is what involves a bunch of "intelligence and creativity."

• Reading

Books for the development of intelligence are an indispensable assistant. Through reading, a person not only learns new things, but also plunges into unusual worlds, gets acquainted with the secrets of science, comprehends new cultures. How to develop intelligence in the process of reading, because this is a common human occupation?

The right choice of books is important here. As already described above, it is necessary to read thoughtfully and with pleasure. If the book is not interesting, do not force yourself. Such reading will not bring joy, which means it will go to waste.

• Template break

A person whose life is subject to a clear routine often acts by inertia. Work and existence on the machine do not even allow the individual to think about how to increase intelligence, and whether it should be done at all. Unfortunately, this is how most people live.

It is important to find the strength in yourself to break this vicious circle. You usually have to start small. For example, change the route to work. Walk in the park for an hour in the evening. On the weekends, do something you haven't done before. Instead of household chores, go to an orphanage or to a neighboring city. Breaking the template allows you to look at the world differently, actualizes mental activity.

This article gives only some of the ways to increase intelligence. In this process, the most important thing is to understand how life will change when the intellectual level becomes higher. What will then happen to the inner world, the family, how will prosperity, relationships with others change? If the picture is positive, then this is the right path of development.

The connection of intelligence with mental processes

The human psyche is a complex structure, therefore all processes in it are interconnected and interdependent.

In particular, intelligence is more influenced by the following internal realities:

• Thinking

Some scientists even considered these concepts synonymous. But this is fundamentally wrong. Thinking is the process of learning and processing information, and intelligence is the ability to correctly apply knowledge at the right time. Without mental operations, the intellectual level of a person would be very low.

Volitional efforts are needed precisely in order to master new material, study important books, and bring thoughts to the final result.

• Memory

The ability to save, store and reproduce information is an integral part of intelligence.

• Attention

Intelligent people are distinguished by an attentive attitude to the world around them. They are able to notice the smallest details, analyze and study them. The development of intelligence is closely related to the improvement of human attention.

• Creativity

About this sweet couple: intelligence and creativity, Guilford wrote. This term refers to the ability of a person to think creatively, that is, outside the box, to synthesize original ideas.

Key indicators of intelligence

Psychologists have identified four key characteristics of intelligence:

1. The depth of the mind is the ability to get to the bottom of phenomena and events.
2. Inquisitiveness - curiosity, the desire to learn new things.
3. Flexibility and mobility - the ability to act outside the box, bypass barriers, overcome difficulties.
4. Logic - the ability to justify one's point of view, to correctly present the material.

Erudition and intelligence

The development of intelligence is closely related to such a concept as erudition. Let's figure out what it is?

Erudition is a set of deep knowledge in any field of science or life.

Erudites have an inquisitive mind, they are always looking for new information on a topic of interest to them. An intelligent person does not stop at one area, he develops in all possible directions. The line between these concepts is rather shaky. An erudite may also be interested in several areas at once, but, for example, be a layman in communication.

It is important to learn the following: in order to increase your intellectual level, you need to strive to become an erudite person in any field.

How to increase the erudition of an ordinary person? The best way is to read themed books. Moreover, the quality of reading is extremely important. It should be thoughtful, meaningful. A person should write down or mark favorite or controversial phrases, questions, look for an answer to them.

After reading the book, you can discuss it on a special forum so that knowledge works, and does not lie in memory as a dead weight. In the special psychological and pedagogical literature, you can also find out the opinions of scientists on how to develop intelligence.

Do we need erudition? Around the answer to this question, disputes and discussions do not subside today.

One side of the participants is sure that erudition is something like an eccentric hobby, which can be conditionally called “I want to know everything!”. Those who have fallen into the arms of this hobby strive to constantly expand the horizons of their knowledge and, like true bibliophages, indiscriminately “devour” all the books that come to their hand. Someone collects badges or stamps, while erudite hunt for new knowledge and are endlessly looking for new ways to increase erudition.

So, the answer of the first group to the question of whether erudition is needed is rather negative. They consider erudite people to be just carriers of redundant knowledge, and not at all smart people capable of generating new things, making scientific discoveries and providing technological breakthroughs.

The second group responds to their opponents with the well-known phrase " If you don't like education, then try ignorance!". And they give a lot of examples when ignorance really costs prohibitively:

• a doctor who failed to make the necessary diagnosis in a timely manner,
• a history or literature teacher whose knowledge is limited to a school textbook,
• a lawyer with little knowledge of the law,
• psychologist making diagnoses “over the phone”…

Behind each such case is often not only a lack of professionalism, but also a low level of general education, leading to an inability to critically assess the situation and select adequate tools for analysis and correction.

Actually, erudition in the original sense of the word meant " beyond ignorance or rudeness» (ex-ruide). In other words, the possession of such a breadth of knowledge that does not allow primitive and naive explanations of the structure of the world. So, it contributes to the development of a special mindset!

An erudite has a critical view of the world

Increasing erudition leads to the expansion of knowledge in a variety of areas and scientific disciplines, which in itself is already useful for any person focused on mental development and personal growth. But there is another unique consequence of developed erudition: the collection of knowledge from different sources allows them to be compared with each other, compared and critically evaluated.

Today, such a critical view of the world is more useful than ever. The flurry of information that falls upon us every day gradually makes us indulgent to its deceit. We do not have time to check it and "swallow", suppressing doubts about its reliability.

Erudite individuals evaluate information quite differently. For example, comparing how the same fact (for example, a historical event) is described in different sources, they easily detect inconsistencies and contradictions. So their "excessive" knowledge of history helps them to discard in a timely manner the information that is written with insufficient scientific conscientiousness.

Scholars look at the elephant from different angles

In the science center of Bonn, inside the park area, there is a sculpture symbolizing scientific objectivity - an elephant, which is being felt from different sides by 4 blind men. One touches the elephant's leg, the second touches the trunk, the third touches the tail, and the fourth runs his hand over the elephant's body. This sculpture is an illustration of the famous parable about the argument of four blind men about what an elephant looks like, where each of them repeated about what he touched:

« The elephant is a wide pole!»

"FROM lon is a thick flexible hose!»

« The elephant is a little rope!»

« The elephant is a rough wall!»

And only if you put all four images together, you can understand what an elephant is. And it is the erudites who do it better than others.

Or another example. How do you answer the question about consciousness. If you do not use this term as a professional, then most likely you will simply say that this is a difference between a person and an animal. You may be using words like " thinking», « understanding" and " awareness”, as close in meaning or even synonyms.

But professionals will answer the same question in different ways. The philosopher will note that consciousness can be public and private. The doctor will say that you can lose consciousness or be in an unconscious state. The lawyer will point out that it is important to consider whether the suspect has reached the age of consciousness. The psychologist will connect the conscious and the unconscious.

An erudite, as a rule, is able to consider the category of consciousness from all these points of view..

With Wikium you can increase your erudition online"

How to increase general erudition

So, if you set yourself such a goal, then take into account the following recommendations.

1. Learn and learn new words

At school and college, almost every day you learned new terms, got acquainted with scientific concepts and categories, considered them in the context of a specific theory or technology. Along with the end of the training, the flow of new word-symbols into your consciousness also stopped. You stay in the same semiotic space all the time, without giving your brain a reason to form new neural connections, and therefore to develop your intellect.

By themselves, learned new words do not automatically make a person an erudite, but after all, a whole chain of their family ties stretches behind the new concept. These connections restructure your ideas about the world. The more such connections, the more actively the cognitive simplicity of thinking is replaced by cognitive complexity.

What specific actions are behind this advice:

• Set yourself the task of learning and memorizing 3 new words every week.. And not just memorize, but use them in your oral and written speech.
• Look for and assimilate words that mean different actions in different areas of knowledge such as building renovation and event renovation. When you come across an unfamiliar word, take your time to look up its meaning in the dictionary. First, try to understand for yourself what it means, and only then check the correctness of your reasoning or guesses.
• Read technical and scientific literature and strive not only to understand what this or that new term means, but also what other concepts and categories it is associated with.

1. Expand your thesaurus

Thesaurus is your individual vocabulary. It can be increased through the practice of using synonyms in your speech. Synonyms are called words that are different in sound, but the same in meaning (examples: discover and find, explore and study). Using synonyms, you can diversify your speech.

In addition, synonyms often mean the same thing only for an unprepared person, and an erudite will easily explain the difference to you, for example, between:

• rock and mountain
• typhoon and tsunami
• meaning and meaning.

1. Read analytical articles and critical reviews

Such a reading will allow you to compare your idea of ​​​​an issue with the comments of competent specialists.

As a result, you will get three points of view:

• stated in the original
• an expert in this field,
• your own.

Critical reviews are especially useful, which will help you see the vulnerabilities in the logic of the author of the analyzed work, and compare the two points of view yourself. Such an activity turns reading from a passive consumption of information into mental work, which is called comparative analysis.

1. Visit special sites to increase erudition

Of course, we are talking about sites designed for pros. There you will not only be able to expand your knowledge, but also train in order to develop the mental skills of an erudite:

• building an objective picture of the world,
• critical thinking,
• comparative analysis.

1. Write more than ordinary people

Start writing texts on a specific topic. But not everyday or popular, but scientific or philosophical and artistic. Written speech allows you to structure thoughts, puts them in a certain logic.

The written text is a reflection of your consciousness, so it will be easier for you to determine what you are strong enough and well versed in, and what is still your area of ​​proximal development.

1. Read as much as possible!

And let it be not just books with entertaining stories. Read descriptions of scientific experiments, philosophical reasoning, serious fiction.

No matter how various merry fellows make fun of erudite people, and no matter how snobs speak of them with disdain, erudite people always remain in demand both in a working environment and at moments of rest.

It is not for nothing that one of the most important roles in a management team or a project team is called an “expert” - a carrier of versatile knowledge, well-versed in a variety of areas and therefore able to suggest exactly where to look for answers to complex questions that stand in the way of a team goal.