How I read a book in 15 minutes
I have books on my shelf that I have never read. Sometimes I brought them home from a free library. Sometimes I bought them. Sometimes they were given to me by a friend who recommended them.
I tend to be be frozen by the expectations of others. If I purchased the book or got it for free I will often be able to get rid of it. But if I a friend recommended a book to me and I didn't read it immediately I would often leave it on my shelf for a very long time, feeling a little bit of sadness every time I saw it.
I know I'm not the only one who struggles with this. I was chatting with a friend recently. We both studied philosophy in University and I enjoyed exploring her philosophy texts. She has a book called In Defense of Elitism and she mentioned that she hadn't read it but wanted to because otherwise she would never know how the author managed to defend Elitism. I also noticed another book on her shelf, The Moral Landscape, which a friend had recommended to me. I think I still have it, but I'm not sure. She mentioned it was the first philosophy book she read, and that her notes were in it. I love books with notes in them. So now I had a new motivation for reading the book.
One of my favourite professors recently shared his method for reading academic articles in 15 minutes: Set a timer and then proceed to find: The thesis, the main arguments (Both for and against), and what evidence the author uses to support these arguments. This method is meant for articles, but I thought I could apply it to books.
I decided to set a 15 minute timer and find out how Elitism could be defended. I read the title, and the back of the book. Then I flipped to the end and found some of the most racist garbage I have encountered in a long time. According to the author Women and Blacks (his capitals) would never truly feel the joy of achievement if they created programs to help them achieve their potential. I felt physically nauseous. I had 15 minutes to read this book, but I couldn't force myself to continue. So I stopped.
Instead I picked up The Moral Landscape. I read the title carefully. I read the back. I read the table of contents. I flipped to a random page and read a little about morality and neuroscience. Then I flipped to the end to read a little of his concluding arguments. The timer was still running but I got up and went over to my wife to have an engaging discussion about the possibility of moral progress. Sam Harris is hopeful. Seeing the state of the USA at this time I sometimes despair. But he talks in the sense of generations and it gives me hope.
After reading for 15 minutes I know what the book is about. I know reasons I might want to read it and why it matters to my friends. I'm motivated to read the entire book, but more importantly I can read it for my own reasons, not just because it was recommended to me.
I tend to be be frozen by the expectations of others. If I purchased the book or got it for free I will often be able to get rid of it. But if I a friend recommended a book to me and I didn't read it immediately I would often leave it on my shelf for a very long time, feeling a little bit of sadness every time I saw it.
I know I'm not the only one who struggles with this. I was chatting with a friend recently. We both studied philosophy in University and I enjoyed exploring her philosophy texts. She has a book called In Defense of Elitism and she mentioned that she hadn't read it but wanted to because otherwise she would never know how the author managed to defend Elitism. I also noticed another book on her shelf, The Moral Landscape, which a friend had recommended to me. I think I still have it, but I'm not sure. She mentioned it was the first philosophy book she read, and that her notes were in it. I love books with notes in them. So now I had a new motivation for reading the book.
One of my favourite professors recently shared his method for reading academic articles in 15 minutes: Set a timer and then proceed to find: The thesis, the main arguments (Both for and against), and what evidence the author uses to support these arguments. This method is meant for articles, but I thought I could apply it to books.
I decided to set a 15 minute timer and find out how Elitism could be defended. I read the title, and the back of the book. Then I flipped to the end and found some of the most racist garbage I have encountered in a long time. According to the author Women and Blacks (his capitals) would never truly feel the joy of achievement if they created programs to help them achieve their potential. I felt physically nauseous. I had 15 minutes to read this book, but I couldn't force myself to continue. So I stopped.
Instead I picked up The Moral Landscape. I read the title carefully. I read the back. I read the table of contents. I flipped to a random page and read a little about morality and neuroscience. Then I flipped to the end to read a little of his concluding arguments. The timer was still running but I got up and went over to my wife to have an engaging discussion about the possibility of moral progress. Sam Harris is hopeful. Seeing the state of the USA at this time I sometimes despair. But he talks in the sense of generations and it gives me hope.
After reading for 15 minutes I know what the book is about. I know reasons I might want to read it and why it matters to my friends. I'm motivated to read the entire book, but more importantly I can read it for my own reasons, not just because it was recommended to me.
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