[Book Review]: How to Read a Book: Reclaiming the Value of the Other

Originally published in Philosophy New Media

I don't know if I have encountered the following situation: by chance, I clicked on a video about a book. The filmmaker's excellent storytelling skills make you unwittingly interested in the book. I clicked on a link to buy a book, and then clicked on the book review about the book. I thought the content of this book was quite interesting. I walked into the bookstore and picked up the book I liked. I thought, I have taken another step forward on the road to intellectuals. How noble! He went to pay with his blood full of enthusiasm, opened the book with the appearance of victory written on the forehead, and could not wait to swallow the whole book alive. The hot blood flowing from his body only lasted for five minutes to cool down, and before he could turn to the first page of the first chapter, he was already frightened by the dense words, God, what the hell is that movie storyteller? read it. At the moment, it is like looking from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain and shaking my head. Since then, the book has silently accumulated dust in an inconspicuous corner. Year after year, day after day, the bookshelves are full of books, but his head is as new as a shiny floor, leaving no trace of any author.

Modern people are full of illusions about themselves and want to change, but they haven't spent the time to brew the fruits of change. As is life, so is reading. Philosopher Han Bingzhe pointed out in the book " The Expulsion of the Other: Today's Society, Perception and Communication " that the digital Internet age is eroding the perception of modern people, and information is within reach, but it has not left an impression on us. Online storytelling videos explain the content of the book clearly, but it does not improve our understanding. Reading " How to Read a Book " in this context is another meaning.

How to Read a Book by American philosopher Mortimer J. Adler. The reason why "Ru" is touted as a classic of reading is largely because Adler made reading live: the relationship between books and readers is not only between people and things, active and passive, but turns into a ritual Deserving and engaging communication. In other words, "reading" becomes human in Adler's pen.

Today's transparent culture emphasizes speed and efficiency, and we only absorb "knowledge" in a superficial way. The price of pursuing clarity and transparency is that things no longer leave any scale in our minds. Adler's reading method is different. The reading method he advocates pursues depth and scale. The scale comes from negative experience: deep because of frustration; growth because of pain. Han Bingzhe described the Other in this way: "The other and the negativity of change form a profound experience...encountered by it, overturned by it, changed by it...the essence of which is pain1 ." , writing notes, "boning" the book, etc., are to ensure that readers can have a good encounter with the author.

In contrast, the two books are quite echoing: Adler and Han Bingzhe discussed "perception" from different perspectives, refocusing on the conditions required: concentration, active devotion, and the importance of time accumulation. If Han Bingzhe took the pulse of modern people and pointed out the symptoms of the times, the reading method advocated by Adler prescribed a prescription for modern people, so as to practice the suggestions in practice, carry out spiritual exercise, and regain the importance of others.

Is it stupid to read a lot?

Long before Adler, the German philosopher Schopenhauer , in his essay "On Reading and Books ", discussed extensive reading: 2

When reading, we rely on the author to think for us: we simply go back and forth in the author's line of thought... Reading all the time is more mind-numbing than manual labor, like a spring under pressure Just as it loses its elasticity eventually, so too does the mind lose its flexibility by constantly reading the ideas of different authors.

Just looking at this passage, one might think that Schopenhauer is amazing, but then he says:

The content doesn’t really take root in our minds if we just keep reading without thinking about it.

We may agree with Schopenhauer's conclusion that if we read too much without thinking about the content of the book, we will only get more confused. However, there is one thing worth noting in his words: what causes readers to be confused is not necessarily caused by a lot of reading, but the responsibility of the readers. As Adler pointed out in "As":

To avoid this mistake—the mistake of thinking that reading a lot is good reading—we must distinguish between different reading styles3 .

Adler therefore sorted out seven categories of books, namely: practical, imaginary literature, drama and poetry, history, philosophy, science and mathematics, social science books. Depending on the type of book, read at different speeds and methods. These classifications themselves not only show Adler's profound side, but also show his delicate sensitivity to books, just like an excellent salesman who knows how to adjust his language to the information revealed by his object's origin and words and deeds. The other side is on the same frequency. From the classification, Adler demonstrates how to respond to the characteristics of things, so as to appreciate them from a corresponding angle. The premise is, in front of things, how much ability do you have to feel and observe their characteristics?

Adler pointed out in Chapter 1 "The Vitality and Art of Reading" that learning can be divided into two types: guided and non-assisted self-discovery: the former mainly has the teacher assist and guide the learner's actions, while the latter It is unaided reading of self and the world, not teaching to act4 . Learning about the latter not only requires active thinking, but also requires a person to use his senses, imagination, memory, observation, analysis, and reflection abilities to learn. Adler defines this self-discovery learning as follows:

Reading is a discovery 5 .

In this way, Schopenhauer's words can be better understood: whether a lot of reading can be numbing is not only a matter of serious thinking, but more importantly, whether a person's perception is used to understand the content of the book. If there were, we wouldn't have the feeling of "relieving that we've finally read it", and we wouldn't start the next book right away with no mental breathing room, because it takes time to perceive something. If we follow Adler's definition of reading, reading is not only a discovery, but a training of perception.

affirmation of the other

You can't improve your reading skills if all the books you read are within your abilities. You must be able to manipulate books that are beyond your ability, or as we say, read books that are beyond your head 6 .

This passage points out that Adler's reading concept is quite combative.

Not understanding it, of course, makes people uncomfortable and frustrated. Failure to grasp the content of the book at once shows the negativity of the book. As Adler put it, the part of reading that makes you mentally grow is precisely in its "incomprehension". These excesses overflow the individual's cognitive framework and cannot be absorbed instantly. It shuts people out, but it also elevates people. The relationship between the author and the reader is like the contest between the old master and the young apprentice. Only when the young apprentice wins the master can he be considered successful. Because of knowing the unknown things, the personal cognitive map is opened up. An epiphany in an instant overturns, or even subverts, one's world cognition. Reading has an eventual dimension. Change is possible because events interrupt the old reality and create the opportunity for a new reality.

If you read a practical book designed to convince you to conform to a certain behavior, you agree with the author, the content of the book is denying your past knowledge, and therefore your behavior will change. One of the author's words makes you have a flash of inspiration, and your understanding of the world suddenly becomes different, so it opens up a new horizon and a new real relationship. However, to gain the power of change from a book, readers must first encounter the author well, by writing notes and summarizing them.

How to Build Relationships with Authors by Writing Notes

As the reader, it is your responsibility to find out as precisely as possible what the author is asking. You should have a way of saying what the whole book is trying to answer...you should be able to not only fully grasp all the relevant questions, but also be able to put them into order wisely7 .

Adler described that there should be a set of intellectual etiquette constraints between the reader and the author: the author must first make the words clear so that the reader can understand; in turn, the reader must first understand the author's meaning before commenting. Figure out the gist of the article, outline the structure of the content, and jot it down… all to make sure that when you comment, you get to know what other people are saying. Reading a book is essentially a communication, a communication between the author and the reader. As far as the initiative of reading is concerned, the essence is similar to that of listening. Both of them must take the initiative to invest in order to grasp the meaning of the other party. The so-called devotion is to recognize the position controlled by the other with concentration, and to call the other from the object. A book is meant to show exactly how the author can solve the problems he has set out. Just like listening, if readers want to grasp the author's message, they must first be guided by the author's words, go through the author's mind jungle, and go through a thought process. If you can't concentrate, the book is just a stack of dead objects made of paper, and the words become a series of meaningless symbols, and the author's soul can't feel it.

Therefore, Adler said that reading is like a baseball game. The reader has to pick up the ball thrown by the author, not just stretch his hand, but also know how to judge whether the opponent throws a curve ball, a fast ball, or a slow ball. . There are votes and receptions to be considered interactive. Writing notes and summarizing is to restore the author's words so that you can follow the message well. If oral communication is to repeat what the other party said to show that we have heard it, writing notes and summaries is to express in writing, or conversely, these actions have a normative effect, so we have to concentrate, in order to find out what the author expressed. The key point has to be re-invested in the author's thoughts, and the reason is drawn from the author's words. Competent readers know how to fully read yourself back to 8 before commenting.

To read is to decode the other

The otherness of the book is presented in the form of a puzzle. The essence of the puzzle is that it cannot be grasped at once. Read and decode some unfamiliar ideas that did not belong to you. To succeed, you must first cross the threshold set by the author. The threshold is intimidating for the reader, but the comprehension increases according to the threshold set in the book. The premise is that the reader must give time for the book to change itself.

Whether a book is difficult to understand or not is very subjective. It depends on the reader's own knowledge network, whether there are rich knowledge gathering points, so that new information can be linked with past experience/focal points. If not, it takes a while for a tough book to create new focal points in the web of knowledge and connect with other existing focal points. The negativity encountered in the reading experience forces the reader to reconnect with the unfamiliar ideas in every possible way of gathering points in the knowledge web. The richer the ways of connecting knowledge gathering points, the more comprehension ability will increase. Each reconnection brings us closer to the height of that threshold, equal to the author. As Han Bingzhe said, acquiring profound knowledge shows a completely different temporality. Knowledge acquisition must first go through precipitation and accumulation. Without the accumulation of time, the knowledge network cannot accumulate enough knowledge gathering points, and the connection methods cannot be enriched. To deposit knowledge is to make time work.

Reading as a Prescription for the Disease of the Times

Han Bingzhe pointed out that under the guidance of algorithms, people only look at things that conform to their taste, which reduces their acceptance of unfamiliar things and indirectly rejects any negative experience. Without the stimulation of others, our perception slowly degenerates, everything has only unlimited input, but no feeling, and gradually turns into an uncontrolled stare. The stimulation of the other is like traveling, because we are in an unfamiliar environment, which activates our senses and becomes extremely sensitive to the environment. Under the influence of algorithms, people are like repeatedly returning to popular tourist attractions and losing the ability to appreciate unfamiliar things. So how can Adler's method of reading become a prescription?

Adler regards reading as a puzzle, a wrestling, and an exchange, in which he points out the limitations of thresholds and the norms of etiquette, and indirectly shows that only by pulling "I" out of "self" can people be different. Ego too much. In front of the puzzle, "I" always looks small; in the situation of communication, there is only "I" in my heart, so I won't hear the other party's words and can't communicate. With the Other, we can examine ourselves, and because of the Other, our consciousness is activated. If exercise makes people persevere, don't give up easily, and makes people persistent in doing things, then what reading cultivates is concentration, active engagement, and appreciation of the role of time. Because of concentration, I feel the presence of the author and connect with the author's words. Because of active investment, we can accurately capture the spirit behind the content and gain insight into the author's thoughts. Because of patience, we can persevere even before the writing that surpasses our own mind, and let the book change itself.

Behind these elements is to let the other control, to empty and completely remove oneself, and to regain personal perception. Books are just a field for training reading. The art of reading can be applied to things beyond print, such as architecture, paintings, music, cities, sports events, current events, the environment, and even people. All of the above-mentioned things send a message to us, and it is only up to us to interpret it, the difference is whether our antenna has the corresponding sensitivity to catch it, or as Adler puts it, "discover" the meaning.

seasoned cook

Experienced chefs have the ability to turn food processing into performances: whether it is cattle, pigs, chickens, or sheep, they all know how to strike with the stripes of animal muscles, the blade is deeply embedded in the meat, and it falls along the texture. Large pieces of meat, disintegrating from the closed whole into distinct parts, leaving no trace of cutting. The mere handling of ingredients can also be turned into a pleasing performance, in which the thrill of watching a whole disintegrate in an orderly manner ensues.

What "How to Read a Book" wants to convey is that in the face of a complex whole, it can be disassembled in a calm manner, and a reason can be derived from it. The meaning of writing notes and summaries is not just to learn to grasp the information well, but to exercise one's perception and mind from these practices. Instead of immediately denying or ignoring others, it is about letting go of oneself and exercising a relationship with others. The ability and will to deal with and conquer others.