Non-Linear Education

Otherwise known as the internet.

Those who create content are usually highly motivated about particular issues. Blogs and podcasts tend to be short and pretty specific. For me, this means I get several discrete lessons on particular subjects, but the relationships between the subjects are not always readily apparent.

The order of a book, or the chronology of a classroom do not necessarily impart any more knowledge, but the knowledge there is presented in an order we are more acculturated to. In addition, I have a suspicion that certain nuances are better understood by different senses: I find listening to N.T. Wright far more interesting than reading him, for example. A good chunk of the information is in his voice, in his tone, and that's where I can get a good understanding of where he is coming from.

Obviously there are subject matters that lend themselves to this kind of learning and those that don't. I suppose I could try to learn calculus randomly, but I think it would be harder than the classroom experience. As for political science, psychology, and philosophy- well I wouldn't mind taking every minute I spent in those classes back because I can find better stuff on the internet.