Autodidactism (from the Greek αὐτοδίδακτος, meaning self-taught) "is self-education or self-directed learning. An autodidact is a mostly self-taught person, as opposed to learning in a school setting or from a full-time tutor or mentor. Autodidacts might spend their time reading either in solitude or in public spaces such as at libraries or via educative websites. They may or may not have designed a plan for their course of study. They may or may not engage a network of experts for guidance." [Wikipedia]
I would like to spend my summer break reading books, learning about and trying things I am interested in. If I raise at least $1,400, I will do these things in addition to writing and self-publishing a book composed of essays written over the course of the summer. The money will go towards my college education.
Flexibility is an important element for any autodidactic pursuit, but I do have a starting point. I maintain a list of books that I would like to read on Goodreads. I am studying the Great Books at St. John's College, so I would like to supplement that knowledge with more modern works of non-fiction and literature. Some general areas that I am interested in studying this summer include psychology, linguistics, education, Eastern religions and philosophy, mathematics and science, and history.
As far as the experiential part of my summer, I have a few projects I will investigate and probably try: polyphasic sleep, Vipassana meditation, new exercise routines, learning languages such as Esperanto and Latin, attempting programming, etc.
I will self-publish the book on Lulu.com, a print-on-demand self-publishing company.
Thank you in advance for your generous support! I'm very excited about this project and with your help, I can achieve something that will not only be formative and educational, but I will also have a tangible final product, my book.
If you'd like to know more about Kickstarter (this website, which I am using to raise the money), click here.
Project location: Hingham, MA
Receive a copy of the final PDF of the book
Receive weekly PDFs as my book progresses
All of the above and your name in the "Thank You" section of the book
All of the above, a signed, physical copy of the book once it is published, and a thank you call or video chat!
All of the above, personal correspondence about the progression of my project via email / phone, and a special, extended paragraph of thanks in the "Thank You" section of the book
Annapolis, MD
Michael attends St. John's College in Annapolis, MD, where he is reading the Great Books. He is interested in philosophy, psychology, education, linguistics, and many other areas of knowledge.