<p>I am a student who is interested in sharpening my mind and other skills. I would like a list of classes and books one can utilize to achieve the list below.</p>
<li><p>To be able to write effectively and clearly</p></li>
<li><p>To be able to think analytically, critically, and resolutely</p></li>
<li><p>To be able to make accurate inferences and deductions</p></li>
<li><p>To be able to effectively communicate verbally thoughts, etc</p></li>
<li><p>To be able to readily call up facts and other forms of beneficial information</p></li>
<li><p>To be able to use information, deductions, analysis, etc, to create strategies</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Also, seeing this list, what are some good careers based on the abilities I want to focus on and strengthen.</p>
<p>As to majors, check out various types of literature, such as English or Comparative Literature, philosophy, classics, history, anthropology, sociology, psychology, art history, communications, perhaps? What interests you?</p>
<p>As to books, for 1. many would suggest The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. it is sitting beside my bed, so I'm not sure what I think of it (I haven't yet read it), but it is one of the most classic books on style of the modern age, if not the most classic. You should look into books on philosophical logic for a few of your points. I wish that I could suggest a good text to begin with, but I think nspeds might be able to do so. I think that reading the major works throughout the philosophical cannon would help you in many of your goals. The corpus of Aristotle and Plato are good starting points. Their most famous and important titles may be the Ethics and Politics, and the Republic, respectively, but it would probably help you to read selections or entire other texts to help you understand these works, which are later works for the both of them. I'm not sure about some of these things . . . for instance, I, too, want a better memory, but like you i'm not sure how to get it.</p>
<p>professor, writer, think tank member are a few careers which might fit the bill.</p>
<p>When I said strategies, I meant in sports, games, etc.</p>
<p>As for the books thank you for the recommendations, I've ordered strunk and white from amazon and have been surprised at how many good reviews it received. As for philsophical books, I purchased voices of wisdom which seems to be a compilation of philsophical works ranging from kant to aristotle. I'm hoping nspeds can recommend more. I also purchased a sherlock holmes novel; it popped up as a selection when I searched for deductive reasoning. </p>
<p>I always liked the thought of writing, but I'm not too creative, so it would have to be something like journalistic writing or travel writing. As for other careers, Consulting, and Law were a few others I've felt drawn to. Both because of there requirements involving strategic planning, etc.</p>
<p>My brother thought that a lot of people ignore war strategy. He's recommended I read Sun Tzu's The Art of War, the oldest book ever written, I think, and the oldest war strategy book that I've heard of. He Has a few other books in his room that he said I should read if I'm interested in that sort of thing. I can get the titles if you would that.</p>
<p>Amazon is a great place to find things. The compilation book is a great start. I'll ask nspeds to post on this thread. Also, you might want to post it in the law forum.</p>
<p>A great book to use to sharped up your writing is The Elements of Style. Its a small, red book written originally by a prof. at Cornell and updated recently by E.B. White</p>
<p>Ok this may seem like a random subject but i found that Philosophy of Science really improved my abilities in the areas that you mentioned. </p>
<p>It tends to tear apart your knowledge basis leaving you to reconstruct a whole new way of seeing the world. Of course most philosophy will do this, however philosophy of science also makes us question (in detail) the basis of modern thought instead of being focused on a historical framework. </p>
<p>You are already reading Kant and some others so thats a place to start and then just keep reading areas of thought that you enjoy. One of my fave philosophers is Noam Chomsky. People tend to love or hate him. Try "The Responsibility of Intellectuals" for some light reading some time. I think you can gain those skills in any area of the humanities if you have some passion and persist. </p>
<p>Spelling was never my strong point. I appologise for mistakes in this post.</p>
<p>The only area that struck me as combining all of the things you listed is economics, particularly microeconomics/game theory (you mentioned strategy as important). There are plenty of good books, but I can't really recommend anything because I don't know your level. It's one of the few areas that combines strategy, logic, and quantitative reasoning with writing and clearly communicating one's ideas. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with your studies in these areas.</p>
<p>Yeh, it really depends on your interests. I personally found that economics did not change or develop the way i think, communicate or argue one bit. However if you were passionate about it and delved (and questioned) into the area of study deeper i am sure that you could gain these skills.</p>
<p>I give this book my highest praise, since almost every grammar book I purchased was remedial in nature - even the Oxford guide. </p>
<p>I also recommend memorizing random facts or vocabulary; it boosts your retention rate and also your ability to recall information. For instance, I memorized the first 200 digits of Pi over the winter break.</p>
<p>Reading Kant, and so on, will not improve your reading skills; that is, you will not read quicker or understand more by reading philosophy that is obscure. Kant was a bad writer and certainly not the philosopher upon which you should be improving yourself.</p>
<p>Good philosophers that, in addition, happen to be good writers, are the following:
Michael Martin
Peter Unger
Robert Nozick
John Rawls
Christine Korsgaard
Harry Frankfurt</p>
<p>I realise his main field is linguistics however i came across his work in philosophy. You are correct that a better label (or correct label) would be a political commentator. His influence is felt in a broad range of subjects. </p>
<p>They dont have to be great writters (in my opinion) to help your reading skills. Take Wittgenstein for example, i am not a fan of his style but i do think he helped my reading. I would love to watch a movie about his life! It has been a while since i read his Tractatus so i suppose in truth i may have a different opinion on it now if i took the time to read it again. </p>
<p>If you are into ethics then peter singer can be a good read.</p>