Nice piece. I think your ideas fit in nicely with Mortimer Adler's levels of reading. More specifically, inspecetional reading and analytical reading which represents the shallow and deep ways of reading.
Also, regarding philosophers, maybe eastern ones are more of your cup of tea. They tend to be less verbose than the average Western one. I'm thinking of lao tzu, and the Buddha.
They are, because they don't try to set up an all-encompassing system, but rather rules for life to be interpreted as you go. Those ones you'd have to read deep, because reading shallow is highly dependent on assuming the text is made to be logically ordered.
I've never heard of Mortimer Adler's levels of reading before now, so if you know where I can go to find out,t hat owuld be most appreciated!
here is a summary of the book from perplexity AI for your inspectional ready needs :)
"How to Read a Book" by Mortimer Adler provides a guide to reading comprehension and critical analysis through four levels of reading: Elementary, Inspectional, Analytical, and Syntopical.
Executive Summary
Overview of the Book:
Mortimer Adler's "How to Read a Book" outlines a systematic approach to reading and understanding books at a deeper level.
The book emphasizes the importance of active reading and engaging with the text to gain insights and knowledge.
Adler introduces four levels of reading—Elementary, Inspectional, Analytical, and Syntopical—each with specific strategies and goals.
Key Concepts:
Elementary Reading is the basic level of understanding the written word.
Inspectional Reading involves skimming or superficial reading to get an overall sense of the book.
Analytical Reading is a thorough examination of the text, requiring the reader to classify the book, understand its structure, and evaluate its arguments.
Syntopical Reading:
This advanced level involves reading multiple books on the same subject and comparing their ideas and arguments.
Syntopical reading allows for a broader understanding of a subject by synthesizing information from various sources.
It requires the reader to identify and define issues across different texts and analyze the discussions to form their own conclusions.
Deep Dive
Mortimer Adler's "How to Read a Book" is a comprehensive guide that teaches readers not just to read, but to read well. The book is structured around the idea that reading is an active process, requiring effort and engagement from the reader to truly understand and learn from the text.
The Elementary Reading level is where most people's reading skills are established, during early education. This level is about understanding sentences and grasping the literal meaning of the text.
Inspectional Reading is the art of skimming or pre-reading a book to get a general idea of its content and structure. This level is about deciding whether the book deserves a more in-depth reading. Inspectional reading involves looking at the title page, preface, table of contents, index, and summarizing the main chapters.
Analytical Reading is the most thorough level of reading. It involves a detailed examination of the text, where the reader must identify the book's classification, state its main message with brevity, outline its structure, and understand the author's arguments and propositions. This level of reading is where the reader engages in a conversation with the author, asking critical questions and seeking answers.
The highest level, Syntopical Reading, is used for understanding multiple books on the same subject. It involves reading several books, identifying relevant passages, and comparing and contrasting ideas to build a comprehensive understanding of a topic. This level is particularly useful for research or in-depth study.
Nice piece. I think your ideas fit in nicely with Mortimer Adler's levels of reading. More specifically, inspecetional reading and analytical reading which represents the shallow and deep ways of reading.
Also, regarding philosophers, maybe eastern ones are more of your cup of tea. They tend to be less verbose than the average Western one. I'm thinking of lao tzu, and the Buddha.
They are, because they don't try to set up an all-encompassing system, but rather rules for life to be interpreted as you go. Those ones you'd have to read deep, because reading shallow is highly dependent on assuming the text is made to be logically ordered.
I've never heard of Mortimer Adler's levels of reading before now, so if you know where I can go to find out,t hat owuld be most appreciated!
I think his book on the topic is an excellent way to explore his levels of reading further . It is one on my favorite books.
https://bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-read-a-book-revised-and-updated-mortimer-j-adler/1408400
here is a summary of the book from perplexity AI for your inspectional ready needs :)
"How to Read a Book" by Mortimer Adler provides a guide to reading comprehension and critical analysis through four levels of reading: Elementary, Inspectional, Analytical, and Syntopical.
Executive Summary
Overview of the Book:
Mortimer Adler's "How to Read a Book" outlines a systematic approach to reading and understanding books at a deeper level.
The book emphasizes the importance of active reading and engaging with the text to gain insights and knowledge.
Adler introduces four levels of reading—Elementary, Inspectional, Analytical, and Syntopical—each with specific strategies and goals.
Key Concepts:
Elementary Reading is the basic level of understanding the written word.
Inspectional Reading involves skimming or superficial reading to get an overall sense of the book.
Analytical Reading is a thorough examination of the text, requiring the reader to classify the book, understand its structure, and evaluate its arguments.
Syntopical Reading:
This advanced level involves reading multiple books on the same subject and comparing their ideas and arguments.
Syntopical reading allows for a broader understanding of a subject by synthesizing information from various sources.
It requires the reader to identify and define issues across different texts and analyze the discussions to form their own conclusions.
Deep Dive
Mortimer Adler's "How to Read a Book" is a comprehensive guide that teaches readers not just to read, but to read well. The book is structured around the idea that reading is an active process, requiring effort and engagement from the reader to truly understand and learn from the text.
The Elementary Reading level is where most people's reading skills are established, during early education. This level is about understanding sentences and grasping the literal meaning of the text.
Inspectional Reading is the art of skimming or pre-reading a book to get a general idea of its content and structure. This level is about deciding whether the book deserves a more in-depth reading. Inspectional reading involves looking at the title page, preface, table of contents, index, and summarizing the main chapters.
Analytical Reading is the most thorough level of reading. It involves a detailed examination of the text, where the reader must identify the book's classification, state its main message with brevity, outline its structure, and understand the author's arguments and propositions. This level of reading is where the reader engages in a conversation with the author, asking critical questions and seeking answers.
The highest level, Syntopical Reading, is used for understanding multiple books on the same subject. It involves reading several books, identifying relevant passages, and comparing and contrasting ideas to build a comprehensive understanding of a topic. This level is particularly useful for research or in-depth study.
construthction??? What? Why? How? 😐🙏🏾
Construction of truth = construthction. I thought I'd slip an accidentally smart pun into the whole thing about reading being hard.
ah i missed the pun. i like its use now, haha.