Sharing a super efficient learning method I've been trying out recently—personally, I think it's even more effective than reading books or taking a course. Here’s the method: pick a topic you're interested in, then use AI (I chose Gemini) to first create a rough 'knowledge map.' From there, keep asking Socratic-style questions based on the map. Why it works: - It's an active learning approach - You can get instant answers to any questions - It's a thematic way of learning, which gives you a more holistic understanding compared to focusing on isolated points It’s like having a super knowledgeable mentor who patiently answers all your questions. Here’s an example: I was recently reading a biography about Yang Zhenning and wanted to understand some of his research. That led me to explore, on a popular science level, how the fundamental nature of the world works. My ultimate goal was to answer this question: 'When you reach out and "flip" a light switch, how does your "brain" eventually "see" the light?' The requirement: Explain in as much detail as possible all the key physical phenomena, chemical processes, and information transfer "chains" involved in this process. This seemingly simple question actually encompasses some of the most cutting-edge research in modern theoretical physics. Using this method, I kept digging deeper into the fundamental Standard Model, quantum field theory, and even some attempts to unify gravity with the other three forces (like string theory). Even though it’s just an exploration at the popular science level, it’s given me a pretty intuitive understanding of how the world works. This method can be applied to learning any topic.