8 Ideas You Should Know From: How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler
/The 8 Big Ideas:
Understanding a book means you can restate and summarize what the author wrote
Understand the 4 levels of reading
Create good reading habits
How to be a determined reader
Don’t be afraid to mark up a book – the goal is comprehension, not keeping the book in perfect condition
If you can state the book arguments and summarize, you probably don’t comprehend what you read
Always look for the evidence behind any claim
Importance of studying history, we learn not only of the past, but of the recurring ways of human nature
My Highlights From the Book:
Understanding a book means you can restate and summarize what the author wrote:
You have gained nothing but information if you have exercised only your memory. Enlightenment is achieved only when, in addition to knowing what the author says, you know what he means and why he says it.
Understanding the 4 levels of reading:
1- Elementary reading – basic reading any child can do.
2- Inspectional reading – emphasis on time – trying to get the most out of a book in a given amount of time. The art of skimming systematically. Reading at a superficial level to understand the broad message.
3- Analytical reading – thorough, complete reading. The key is to ask questions of what you are reading along the way. If you aren’t doing this, you’re back to inspectional reading. This is an intensely active process. It’s not casual. This is primarily for the deep understanding of a work.
4- Synoptical reading – also called comparative reading – reads many books at one time and places them in relation to each other. You’re able to build connections between the ideas that are otherwise unavailable to each book alone. This is very difficult reading.
Create good reading habits:
Wasteful habits – subvocalizing and fixating on the same line many times. Solution use your hand which you can train yourself as you move it. Move it a little faster than you can read. Keep practicing and you will catch up and double or triple your reading speed.
The hand improves speed as well as concentration. It’s harder to daydream or fall asleep.
How to be a determined reader:
Ask questions while you read – questions that you must answer yourself in the course of reading.
4 main questions:
1- What is this book about as a whole?
2- What is being said in detail?
3- Is the book true, in whole or in part?
4- What of it?
Don’t be afraid to mark up a book – the goal is comprehension, not keeping the book in perfect condition:
Marking the book means a conversation between the author and reader is occurring.
If you can’t state the book arguments and summarize in your own words, you don’t comprehend what you read:
If the book contains arguments, you must know what they are, and be able to put them into a nutshell.
“State in your own words” is the best test for telling whether you understand what the author says.
You must be able to say, with reasonable certainty “I understand” before you can say one of the following, I disagree, I agree or I suspend judgment.
Always look for the evidence behind any claim:
His claim is justified only to the extent that he speaks truly, to the extent that he says what is probable in the light of evidence. Otherwise, his claim is unfounded.
Importance of studying history, we learn not only of the past, but of the recurring ways of human nature:
It is necessary to read more than one account of the history if we want to understand it.
Reading history not only to learn what really happened at a particular time and place in the past, but also to learn the way men act in all times and places, especially now.