If one was a young or returning adult with interest but little background in mathematics, would you suggest learning category theory first (assuming the adult is interested)? How would you suggest going about doing this as a path?
Although it would depend on what kind of fields of math you are interested in (algebra, analysis, topology, etc), I think that you can't really _go wrong_ per se by learning Category Theory first, even if many of the examples/uses of category theory won't make sense at first. Of course, learning Category Theory first is definitely unorthodox; at least in college, you usually first learn basic algebra (Abstract Algebra, Linear Algebra) along with analysis (Complex Analysis, Real Analysis) and "advanced calculus" (Differential Equations, Multivariable Calculus). Fields like Category Theory usually come after that and are taught mostly in grad school, but at its core learning Category Theory doesn't require knowing a lot of prerequisites so I think in terms of accessibility it resides alongside fields like Linear Algebra or Group Theory. An advantage of learning Category Theory first is that once you have a decent grasp of it, you'd have the mathematical vocabulary to describe concepts learned in different fields; a homotopy is a 2-morphism in the category of topological spaces, for example.
That being said, if you like algebra the most, learn algebra first. If you enjoy topology, learn topology. There really isn't a "right place" to start with mathematics, and as long as you avoid fields of math that build heavily on other fields of math like K-theory or representation theory, you'll have a decent starting background in math. Most fields of math, not just Category Theory, have analogues to other fields (and Category Theory acts only to really formalize this connection), so you can't really go wrong with starting with something like Linear Algebra or Group Theory.
I appreciate the civil perspectives of you both, and would be interested in seeing you two discuss this in written format. I'd admit to having a relatively poor view of Gould, but this is not an impression formed from particularly close reading.
You might also want to look into ME/CFS. I'm very sorry to hear about this, because I had an analogous experience for years and know how hopeless it feels to try to figure out what the issue is (while your cognitive abilities / stamina are limited by brain fog), fail over and over, and in the meanwhile others cannot understand and don't believe you.
Have you tried the Guoyu Ribao, or Mandarin Daily News? Seems like you need extensive reading practice, and that might be a good way to start.
I've also heard excellent things about Outlier Linguistics' resources for Chinese characters, assuming you're still spending a lot of effort learning characters.
I'll try 國語日報, I'm not sure where to buy it though (it used to be available easily in every 7-Eleven out there but it's been a while since I've seen a copy in a convenience store...).
I already know between 800 and 1000 traditional characters. Looking at Outlier Linguistics products, it seems more targeted towards the entry level. Their Pleco dictionary is nice, though. Reminds me of the explanations one could find in Wenlai (a desktop Chinese-English dictionary with a lot of historical explanations for each characters).
800-1000 characters is not enough. Should be about 2500-3000 characters to be comfortable with reading news and random articles online. I am at this level now, but can't handle novels yet. Need to learn much more vocab for that.
It's practically 100%. Once you're in, they'll do everything in their power to graduate you (legitly). Every incentive they have points at a perfect graduation rate.
EDIT: In the US, anyway. Things are different in, say, Caribbean medical schools.
I read someone mention that French medical schools are easier to get into but the graduation rate is much more like engineering schools. About 1/2 to 2/3 of students drop out or fail. Said the result was French doctors were functionally better in general than US ones and happier.
Since I don't have any experience with French medical schools I don't know if that is true or still true.
I do have experience with US doctors and about half of them are just phoning it in every day.
Taiwan is the awkward counterexample. It never experienced the cultural severing of the Cultural Revolution, yet is arguably the most thriving democracy in Asia.
