I tend to prefer courses to books. Although the best books definitely beat mediocre courses, there’s a few reasons why a great course can leave a lasting impression.

For starters, courses tend to teach foundational topics. Most books try to be original. But much of what’s worth knowing is actually fairly old.

Courses tend to be more balanced. A professor teaching a basic course will try to explain most of the major viewpoints. Yet a popular book written by the same professor might be completely one-sided, as they try to make the strongest case for their views. Polemical works can be useful, but they can be misleading if you mistake a contentious issue for an open-and-shut case.

I also just like watching courses. Reading is good. But so are listening and watching. If you do all three, you’ll probably learn more than if you just stick to text.

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Here are my picks for the best free online courses to watch.