Sunday, August 23, 2020

How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading (Mortimer J. Adler)

 

I've just finished reading this book today! 
The title of this book is really unpretentious, it has much more than whatever one might think of after reading this "How to Read a Book". It's not only about reading, it's about freeing the mind in a way I have partially experienced exactly by reading books, but Adler's How to Read a Book brings it the a new level, or could I say, to an old forgotten level?
Anyway, I'm thinking of reading the great books of western civilization. It's true that I have already read some of them, but after reading Adler's "rules" I realized I haven't really read them well, meaning I didn't have so clear an understanding as Adler suggests and as a consequence, any critical judgments I have made are dubious or partially valid. Reading for understand has been my goal for years, and now after feeling refreshed with Adler's book, I'll try to read these books more intelligently or more correctly. How fruitful will it be?

Here an outline for further reference.

Types of reading

Reading I: The Analysis of a Book's Structure

  1. Classify the book: what kind of book is this?
  2. State what the whole book (unity) is about with few words or sentences.
  3. Enumerate its major parts in their order and relation to the unity (whole). Analyze these parts as wholes themselves.
  4. Define the problem or problems (and subproblems) the author is trying to solve.

Reading II: The interpretation of a book's content

  1. Come to terms with the author by interpreting his basic words like he does.
  2. Mark the most important sentences in the book to discover the author's major propositions.
  3. Learn the author's arguments (which belong to the propositions), by finding them in, or constructing them out of, sequences of sentences. 
  4. Determine which of his problems the author solved, and which he failed. Did new problems show up? If one problem was not solved, does the author know it?

Reading III: The Criticism of a Book as Communication of Knowledge

A. General maxims
  1. Complete understanding first, only then you may say "I agree, I disagree, I suspend judgment".
    1. Suspending judgment is also an act of criticism. It is taking the position that something has not been shown. You are saying that you are not convinced or persuaded one way or the other (point out exactly where and why). 
  2. There's no point in winning an argument if you know or suspect you're wrong. Don't regard the judgment as a quarrel, or with inclinatinos to dispute.
  3. Respect the difference between knowledge and opinion by giving reasons for any critical judgment you make.
    • By removing misunderstanding and ignorance, all rational people can agree. 
    • Reason driven animal <---> passion/prejudice driven animal.
    • Propositions without an argument are treated as opinions.
    • If you can't reason disagreements, then you must agree.
B. Specific criteria for points of criticism
  1. Show where the author is uninformed (ex: lack of revelant information).
  2. Show where the author is misinformed.
  3. Show where the author is illogical (ex: non sequitur, inconsistency).
  4. Show where the author's analysis or account is incomplete.

Intrinsic and extrinsic properties

  1. Intrinsic: reading of the book not in light of external elements other than the reader's general understanding.
  2. Extrinsic: reading of a book in light of external elements such as other books, visits to places, historic background of the author or the author's time.

Classification of books

  • Belles-Letters
    • Criticism criteria: beauty
    • Goal: inspire us, deepen our sensitivity to human values by amusing.
    • Types:
      • Lyrics
      • Drama
      • Novels
  • Knowledge
    • Criticism criteria: truth
    • Goal: elevate our understanding by instructing.
    • Types:
      • Practical
        • Presentation of rules
        • Principles which generate rules (great books are here in this category) *
      • Theoretical
        • Historic *
        • Philosophic (rational reasoning over rational premises)
        • Theologic (rational reasoning over faith premises)
        • Scientific
        • Mathematics
* Extrinsic information about author and author's time is important.

"Translatability"

Extremes of the spectrum would be lyric poems on one side and mathematical books on the other side. Math propositions can be stated in a countless number of ways. Poem verses are trully untranslatable. 

on

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