Is knowing as much as humanly possible a good goal, or should I be more precise? Any ideas?

Answer 1

It depends on whether your goal is to win big on Jeopardy and retire or contribute a body of work over your lifetime that will make a difference in the world.

Answer 2

Yes it's a good goal but will vary from human to human. There are humans with higher brain functionality that will be able to gain more knowledge than you. So for you to strive to know as much as *you* can is a good goal, go for it.

Should you be more precise? Well now that's up to you. If you want to be a "expert" in a certain field of study, then yes, you should narrow your information scale to a specific topic of study. If you'd rather just have a vast general knowledge of all things, then no, just dive into whatever suites you for the week, or month, or year and learn as much as possible for you.

I consider myself a jack of all trades and a master of none. I know a little bit about everything but not a lot about one particular thing. Seems to suite me well. Find your niche and learn child, learn.

Answer 3

Human knowledge is no match for nature's inherent intelligence that already exists in you. All of the knowledge in the world is the symbolization of something real that occurred. Why gather up dead symbols? Why not allow the body to freely respond to the real occurrences as they come without recording them or symbolizing them? The only knowledge I can see as valuable is purely technical or mechanical and used for the purpose of operating a device or method with the goal of solving a problem. That, however, is specialized knowledge.

Answer 4

It is an admirable idea to want to know as much information as possible, but not practical over time. But don't forget that the brain is the most underutilized organ in the body and seldom works at more than 15 percent of it's total capacity. That means that alot of us are lazy about pursuing higher knowledge. It is also recommended that one continue reading one book per week over time to prevent the decay of the brain due to lack of use. Yet, once one has selected an area of study/work specialization, one is required to keep up on information in that area and spend the majority of one's waking time in that environment (unless you work three part time jobs). There may not be sufficient time to learn large quanities of more information on a variety of other things due to time required for work. This is often true when one has a family due to the time that they need. What you select for work will determine the amount of time and energy that you have left over.

One can do what Laiken calls 'Swiss cheesing it'. Select a piece of something to do with that idea. It is prudent to always keep up on what used to be called "current events". In this case, read a newspaper daily to collect local, national and international news. Otherwise, select a hobby or secondary interest and become informed via reading materials, informal classes and the internet on that topic of interest. Join a hobby club. Select a physical activity to engage in also. You will probably find that this is a doable amount of work that fills up your schedule quite a bit. If you can fit in more comfortably without feeling overloaded--great!

I also recommend Allan Laiken's book "How to Get Control of Your Time and Life" for time saving exercises and suggestions on maximizing your time allowed.

Answer 5

Sometimes it's great to walk around with an empty cup and see how it fills during the day.

Knowing as much as possible is only good of you are playing Jeopardy or Trivial Pursuit. And nobody likes a know it all.

Answer 6

There is no such thing as a "good goal". Do what works for u. If you have more fun being a jack of all trades or more fun being an expert in one field, do it.

Answer 7

Knowledge without actions is wasted. Using knowledge in a positive constructive way is a good goal. Incomplete and/or misdirected knowledge can be harmful.

Answer 8

A blanket knowing as much as possible seems trivial. Knowledge that you can use in some fundamental and relevant way would be more powerful.

Answer 9

Knowledge is such a bore. Everyone knows things. Anyone can know anything if they want to. There's nothing beautiful about it.

Answer 10

Well, I'm a kind of all-round know-it-all, and often wonder if it wouldnt be smarter to know everything about just a few subjects instead; good question!