The Lazy Intellectual: Maximum Knowledge, Minimal Effort

by Richard J. Wallace, James V. Wallace

It's a small attention span world out there, and not everyone's interested in paging through lengthy tomes to deepen their intellect. They want their information. And they want it now.

This book fills that void next to the recliner as the go-to reference whenever work conversations or bar trivia have you feeling stupid. The top ten academic subjects are broken into digestible pieces such as:

Fast Facts: One-liners that delivers important information
Repeatable Quotables: Smart words by smart people to make readers look smart by repeating
Visual Aids: Graphs, charts, and tables for when even a few words are way too much
Cheat Sheets: Chapter-ending recaps that reinforce the major points to take away

Whether they want an answer to a biology question, or to brush up on their Spanish during a commercial break, this book is perfect for people who couldn't bother paying attention the first time.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Self Help, Literature, History

400 pages, Hardcover

First published September 18, 2010

Reviews

[jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. Not much learned.

"95% of the ocean remains unexplored"
So you can't tell me mermaids aren't real!


"All languages change over time, just at different rates. English has evolved so rapidly in just a few hundred years that most readers find that sixteenth-century writing of Shakespeare difficult to understand, and earlier works impossible to get through."

"Socrates believed that goodness and knowledge were inseparable and evil was the absence of knowledge."

"The world is imperfect, but that does not imply that God is imperfect or responsible for the imperfections of the world."

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reminds me of the Bluffer's Guides series which focuses on individual subject matter, but with a humorous twist.

For this book, the attempt to cover so many subject matters resulted in scratching the surface of more than a few. Some parts are repetitive because the subject matters are related, just like the stuff you would come across in an encyclopedia.

Still, it's an easy read if you have pockets of spare time to burn. But if you don't like reading an encyclopedia, this may not be your cup of tea.

[Tim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very dry. Definitely don't recommend reading straight through. Lots of good info and things people should know, but it was very much like reading a light Wikipedia article on a variety of topics. No personality to the writing.

[Lindsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not teach me anything I didn't know.

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Sad I finished it in 8hrs

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives much information in a short amount of time. May need to read it twice to absorb it all.

[Erikka · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would have been better except for a few poorly worded sections that could be construed as rude or offensive, the use of certain subject-specific vocabulary that is never defined, and the incredibly repetitive nature of some sections. For example, I don't really next I learn the same info about Pythagoras 4 times. Seriously, one time is enough, even if he did effect multiple disciplines. The info was well written, though, and did exactly as promised: covered a wide breadth of information in a simplistic and concise way.

[Sam Motes · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lazy Intellectual only goes an inch deep in each topic but a mile wide in scope. It covers topics like philosophy, religion, branches of science, mathematics, foundations of political thought, economics, and other topics. Not enough to be an expert on any topic but enough to drive the reading list in new directions to learn more.

[Genaphur · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't read the whole thing, I returned it. I love random information but this book was so dry it felt like it was a bad text book that I needed to memorize for a test.

[Danielle]

Couldn't resist buying this!

[Chelsea · Rating 1 out of 5]

There were major errors in this book that defeated its entire purpose (for example, they provided several wrong French translations) as well as several typos.

[Skye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. A good introductory guide, not for people looking for depth. Good for exposing yourself to new theories and people, but further self study is needed if you're interested in knowing more.

[Marlo Goff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! Fun way to keep those old lessons from school fresh.

[Shaun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title explains it all. Great as a refresher in, well . . . everything.

[John Hobbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, nothing you probably didn't hear in High School.