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I don’t know any definition of actually educating yourself that would exclude reading fiction. And why are you focused on the purpose of producing scientific talent?

The article is trying to explain why the Soviets were so good at keeping up with the US in science/math

Right... tell me you didn't read the article, am I right. That's why I didn't bother replying. I often feel the impulse to reply to "show everyone that this guy is talking nonsense" but if that's obvious other people will see it too, so I say nothing.

I bet a lot of scientific talent was inspired (on either side* of the Iron Curtain) by the genre of fiction this dude is reading: https://barykin-pin-up.ru/#/i/kniga-luchshaya-podruga

* Lem (Cyberiad, etc.) was all I could get of theirs, on mine.

This is an incredibly pessimistic view. Do you have any sources to these claims?