At Reed College in Portland, Oregon, the student newspaper is called The Quest. It never really lived up to its name, at least not when I was editor for one glorious semester in 1997. I take it as a mascot for this site, a collection of advice and guides on how to pursue knowledge and discover new ideas through self-directed research.

Higher education is not simply being told what to think, but, as we say all the time, it means “learning how to learn.” Thus, learning how to research an area of inquiry is one of the key steps in a person's intellectual development. It is the higher learning for which universities exist.

In this section of the Anthrocyclopaedia, I present ways to begin this process. Here is a guide: