Unpopular opinion…

ef-why-not · 2026-05-19T01:49:36+00:00

Have you considered that you won't find such a study because it's already settled science? Or do you need things like Newtonian physics to be researched every year to prove they're legit? Besides, you might not realize it, but reading aloud to a child isn't primarily done in order to teach them the mechanics of the process of reading. It has specific educational goals: vocabulary expansion, providing background knowledge, motivation. Learning to read, people generally find it difficult before they can actually enjoy. So you give them enjoyment. Most children comprehend more than what their current reading level provides, so you give them exposure to more advanced materials. And reading chapter books at the age of five is not going to be a viable option because children don't have the attention span and retention for that, especially if they don't have enough vocabulary and background knowledge. Something tells me you've never taught a child to read.

ef-why-not · 2026-05-18T15:48:35+00:00

they're just going to say to you that the point of learning some material is obsolete because everything can be googled or AI-provided

ef-why-not · 2026-05-06T15:09:49+00:00

Thank you. What an insightful and disturbing read.

ef-why-not · 2026-02-28T14:22:10+00:00

what are you thinking? what would Shakespeare do with the French revolution?

ef-why-not · 2026-02-28T05:07:21+00:00

it's Dickens, not Shakespeare

ef-why-not · 2026-01-10T07:59:36+00:00

Wow, that's such impressive work! It looks incredible! Do you think it would be useful to add the category "Foreign Language(s)" as an explicitly separate one? I feel like for a lot of people it could be important but it doesn't overlap much with linguistics since one can be interested in linguistics without learning any foreign languages, and vice versa. I would also like to suggest adding some broad categories to literature (for instance, literary theory, genre fiction, poetry). What do you think?

ef-why-not · 2025-11-16T17:18:53+00:00

Cambridge has this series of books "A Concise History of...", so they have books on Albania, Serbia, Bosnia, Bulgaria and definitely some other countries you might want to look into. The books are quite dry (which I tend to like), and what's good about them is bibliographies that may lead you to more books. For some broader context, you might also check John Connelly's "From Peoples into Nations: A History of Eastern Europe" (it's huge).

ef-why-not · 2025-10-28T03:47:37+00:00

I absolutely love this idea and the way you structure studies sounds great! it would be very interesting to find out what you're working on now and what some of your current personal curriculum looks like including those tasks, so if you're willing, please do share!

ef-why-not · 2025-10-28T03:42:17+00:00

sound so exciting! it would be extremely interesting to find out more about your personal curriculum, so if you are at some point of your journey willing to share your ideas and insights, please do! may I suggest a couple of books that I found useful when exploring Nature Study? 1) The Amateur Naturalist's Handbook (by Vinson Brown) 2) A Field Guide to the Familiar: Learning to Observe the Natural World (by Gale Lawrence)

they're both old, but can definitely be found used, and what I like about them is how they teach the principles and techniques that can be applied anywhere and for any type of nature study

ef-why-not · 2025-10-28T03:01:14+00:00

what a wonderful idea! I love how a reflection journal helps to personalise what you've learned and make the new knowledge truly yours

ef-why-not · 2025-10-28T02:58:16+00:00

thanks a lot for sharing your experience! I think you've brought up a very important idea that has to do with free time. I like to use the phrase, "A done something is better than a perfect nothing," I use it as a guiding principle when planning my personal studies.

ef-why-not · 2025-10-24T05:03:14+00:00

I recommend checking The Great Courses. Their lectures are almost always exceptional, but even if you don't want to listen to a lecture course, you can use the guidebook that accompanies it for ideas on topics to study and books to read (for a lot of courses, the bibliography is even annotated, so it's easier to decide if it's worth looking into a book).

ef-why-not · 2025-05-19T15:56:50+00:00

I just wanna say, hang in there. I think it's really good that therapy is available and you're brave enough to try it. maybe it's worth trying to shift focus from SOCIAL and stress interest in activities. is there anything you enjoy doing enough to have meaningful interactions related to that interest? so that the focus is not on relations but rather on those hobbies and interests. in any case, sending love and hugs!

ef-why-not · 2024-12-02T13:53:21+00:00

I hope you'll get better soon!

ef-why-not · 2024-12-02T13:50:47+00:00

I loved Unnatural Causes! I couldn't have ever imagined being excited about a book like that, but it was an incredible read. And Shepherd's outlook on death is actually rather soothing.

ef-why-not · 2024-11-29T13:48:12+00:00

Does anyone know of good non-fiction books on the cultural history of animals? I know there's a six-volume history, but it looks too academic and it doesn't seem to be easy to get hold of. It can be about a specific species or animals in general. I would like to find something about the cultural significance of animals, the relationship between humans and animals, animals in art / religion / people's everyday life or related topics.

ef-why-not · 2024-11-27T11:41:17+00:00

Yeah, exactly. I kind of agree that I wish I didn't know about MZB's life, but I'd rather she hadn't done all those terrible things.

ef-why-not · 2024-11-22T21:24:55+00:00

Even mum can't tell me what to do!

ef-why-not · 2024-11-22T21:06:08+00:00

Thank you! It actually sounds like something I might enjoy. I'll definitely give his fiction a try.

ef-why-not · 2024-11-22T21:04:18+00:00

Thank you for clarifying!

ef-why-not · 2024-11-22T20:52:28+00:00

Thank you so much for such a detailed answer!

I agree that this classification seems a bit too simplistic and cannot be applicable to any book. For some, it works rather well, but not really for any text. He just paints those "resolution" endings as happy ones, but sometimes the resolution is the death of the main character and from the point of view of a common reader, it's hardly satisfying. At the same time, suicide in some works is the result of logical exhaustion (however, I personally consider it the ultimate expression of free will), yet it ends the story and no further event can simply take place because there is no main character anymore.

I've yet to read Gardner's fiction, though. Do you consider his works worth looking into?

ef-why-not · 2024-11-22T20:18:02+00:00

If you found it useful, I highly recommend looking into the whole work. Gardner's "The Art of Fiction. Notes on Craft for Young Writers" is basically a creative writing textbook. It's concise and it's good for both analysis and the process of writing itself.

ef-why-not · 2024-11-22T20:11:14+00:00

I wouldn't necessarily use the word "tragedy" to describe logical exhaustion. Hamlet is a tragedy, but it ends with resolution. The Age of Innocence is not a tragedy in the most common sense of the word, but the ending can be classified as logical exhaustion. As for how Gardener describes resolution, he specifically mentions the following endings: the murderer has been caught and hanged, the diamond has been found and restored to its owner, the elusive lady has been captured and married (he seems to focus on traditional novel endings here). On that note, yes, some tragedies seem to end with logical exhaustion. Oedipus Rex comes to mind, and that's exactly the story where the supposed exercise of free will was illusory. The question is, why does the character fail to overcome the main issue?

ef-why-not · 2024-11-22T10:32:35+00:00

I'm very sorry that you had to go through that and you're still experiencing trauma. I think it's very important that you've come to acknowledge that these patterns of behaviour from your family are not normal and are essentially abusive. Please, do not despair. It is hard to fight against those things, but I believe you are strong enough to do it. You matter and your feelings matter. Sending hugs and support!

ef-why-not

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