How to Be Disgustingly Educated

The No-Nonsense Guide to Loving Lifelong Learning — Curiosity Included

There’s a kind of person who doesn’t just join conversations — they elevate them.

They ask a question that changes the tone of the room.
They reference a philosopher and a pop culture moment — and somehow it makes sense.
They seem to know a little about everything, and a lot about a few things most people have never heard of.

They’re not showing off. They’re just genuinely, relentlessly curious.

This is your guide to becoming that kind of person.
Not for appearances. Not to win arguments.
But for the deep, personal thrill of feeding your own mind.

Let’s begin.

1. Make Curiosity Your Default Setting

Train yourself to question everything — gently, consistently, and with intention.

• Why do we design cities the way we do?

• Why do historical narratives change over time?

• How does a social media algorithm affect public memory?

Don’t settle for summaries. Dig into sources. Follow footnotes. Let your browser history look like the research log of someone writing a 700-page thesis on life.

Curiosity is not a trait — it’s a habit.

2. Let Experts Into Your Ears

You don’t need to be in a lecture hall to be in a seminar.
The world’s best thinkers are publishing their thoughts — often for free — in podcast and lecture form.

Start with a few consistently thoughtful voices:

• The Ezra Klein Show – ideas meet policy, philosophy, and psychology

• Philosophize This! – accessible, rigorous introductions to major thinkers

• On Being with Krista Tippett – poetic conversations about meaning and connection

• The Dig – sharp political theory meets real-world stakes

Listen while walking. While cooking. While commuting.
Let expertise become ambient in your life.

3. Read Like It’s Your Job (But Make It a Joy)

Books are still the deepest tool for thinking. Make reading a daily ritual — even 20 minutes counts.

Rotate across genres:

• A novel that challenges your empathy

• A nonfiction book that unpacks a system

• A memoir from a voice far from your own

• A science or philosophy title that stretches your understanding of the world

And yes, it’s completely acceptable to stop reading a book that isn’t working for you. Curate your own canon.

4. Think Faster: One Article at a Time

Articles are your intellectual upkeep. They keep you current, nimble, and connected to evolving thought.

Here are a few places to start:

• The Atlantic – clear writing on culture, politics, and science

• Aeon – longform essays on deep questions

• Nautilus – where science and story intersect

• The New Yorker – cultural criticism, essays, and reported features

• The Cut – society, identity, and modern life with sharp editorial perspective

Pro tip: Read one well-researched article each Sunday morning. Let it shape your thinking for the week.

5. Build Your Own Syllabus

You don’t need a certain professor. You need a plan.

Set a monthly learning theme and follow it intentionally. Treat it like a personal seminar.

One month: The ethics of technology
Next month: Colonial history through literature
After that: The evolution of modern architecture

Build reading lists. Collect essays. Take notes. Make playlists. You’re not browsing — you’re studying, on your own terms.

6. Say “I Don’t Know” Often and Without Fear

Truly educated people admit gaps in their knowledge.
They ask, “Can you explain that to me?”
They say, “I hadn’t considered that. Tell me more.”

This isn’t false humility — it’s intellectual honesty.
It’s also the fastest way to learn more than most people ever will.

Confidence without certainty is a skill worth developing.

7. Use What You Learn

Learning shouldn’t stay in your head — it should shape your conversations, your thinking, your creativity.

• Write. Start a Substack.

• Host a book discussion.

• Ask better questions at dinner.

• Connect unrelated ideas in a way that makes people pause.

The goal isn’t to impress. It’s to express. When you begin articulating what you’ve learned, you discover what you actually understand.

And you make space for others to learn with you.

The Best News? All You Need is Persistence

You don’t need an elite study program. You could use a few tools:

• A library card

• A podcast app

• A free afternoon

• And the habit of caring more than most people think is reasonable

Being “disgustingly educated” isn’t about elitism.
It’s about being deeply engaged — with ideas, with people, with the world.

So go ahead:

Study the physics of music.
Read about medieval gender roles.
Learn the structure of a virus and how it shaped a century.

Then bring all of it into the room with you — quietly, thoughtfully, and with a mind that never stops expanding.

Pass this along to someone who wants to think more deeply. And if you’ve read, listened to, or learned something fascinating lately — share it. Learning is better when it’s collective.