Think of someone you consider brilliant—perhaps a great mathematician or scientist, or maybe an important philosopher or psychologist. One of the first traits we often attribute to them is intelligence: the innate ability to learn, adapt, and apply knowledge and skills. Yet I know many intelligent people whom I wouldn’t necessarily call brilliant—so what sets them apart? Their intellect.

Intelligence is the way in which one processes information, while intellect is the faculty that allows us to think critically about it by rationalizing abstract concepts into frameworks through which we interpret reality. Intellect goes far beyond the futility of information itself, alchemizing it into a shapeshifting vessel through which we navigate the world.

It’s easy to say that some people are simply more intelligent than others—which isn’t necessarily a lie—but I argue that intelligence isn’t static. Its inextricable link with intellect creates a symbiotic dynamic for growth, and the good news is that we can choose to foster it. There’s a reason we refer to the great thinkers of humanity as intellectuals: these individuals set themselves apart by deciding to cultivate their intellect, allowing them to establish frameworks through which our perception of reality has evolved.

I’m not saying that by cultivating our intellect we will become the next great thinker, but who’s to say that we can’t? The beautiful thing is that it’s entirely up to us to decide how we want to interact with the world—to construct meaning through our own lens, one that is inevitably shaped by the collective knowledge at our fingertips. This is why I decided to compile some of the most important and impactful essays I have read across a range of foundational concepts, which I hope will help you become a more intellectually engaged individual, just as they have shaped me.

Things To Do This Week Instead of Doomscrolling

Given that there’s no media roundup this week, don’t forget to check out my weekly segment on Perfectly Imperfect where I share recommendations of things you can do instead of doomscrolling :) This week I talk about navigating seasonal shifts with more intentionality—I share places to go, things to do, and small rituals that make these gray days feel a little lighter.

Welcome to this month’s installment of Further Readings, where each month I share a list of resources and reflections through which we can go down a rabbit hole together. The main goal here is not just to provide a media guide, but to provide a starting point for the process of questioning. In this occasion, instead of focusing on a single topic, we will be diving into some of the introductory foundations of several concepts I consider essential:

1. Visual Culture & the Perception of Reality

2. Authorship, Language & Meaning

3. Attention, Desire & Consciousness

4. Historical Consciousness & Memory

Visual Culture & the Perception of Reality

Seeing precedes words, meaning we must understand the foundations of visual language in order to begin understanding the written one. Analyzing how our perception of images directly shapes both individual and collective reality is essential if we want to understand their meaning.

In Platos Cave by Susan Sontag

This essay is the first of the book On Photography, in which she explores the role of photography in relation to the boundaries and meaning of art, particularly through its impact on the understanding of reality. By employing Plato’s allegory of the cave in the context of the illusion of images, we are forced to question our conception of truth and begin to zoom out in order to see the bigger picture.

Ways of Seeing by John Berger: Chapter 1 & Chapter 3

This book is a collection of seven essays based on the 1972 BBC series, three of which are entirely pictorial. Each essay examines a different aspect surrounding how we view and construct images, making them a direct reflection of societal structures. I chose two of my favorite essays to share here, but all of them are absolutely brilliant. The first essay linked sets a foundation for perception and construction, while the second one provides a practical scenario by examining how visual tradition has shaped our understanding of gender.

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin

This influential essay—heavily referenced by Berger in Ways of Seeing—provides the framework necessary to understand what the reproduction of images entails. He defines the crisis of modern art as a dilution of “aura,” which turns images into ubiquitous information. Benjamin only refers to older forms of mechanical reproduction like film and photography; however, it paves the way to question the value of images through the mass reproduction that occurs in the vastness of the digital world.

In Defense of the Poor Image by Hito Steyerl

This essay provides a sort of continuation to Benjamin’s framework by addressing the current state of imagery, arguing that the “poor image” is the central phenomenon in the digital world. These are low-resolution, heavily compressed, and often pirated files that are widely shared, downloaded, and re-edited. The poor image is a political tool, given that they enable a mass movement in which their shared and transient nature makes them a product of collaborative effort. I found this to be particularly relevant as we enter a new era of AI-generated images that are often hyper-realistic, high-resolution images, which ultimately valorize the poor image.

Everything I share here has been put together through a lot of time, research, and care. The rest of this selection is available to paid subscribers, whose support lets me keep building this space and growing this amazing community of learners. If you’d like to access the rest of this piece, consider becoming a paid subscriber :)