On Reading

Reading follows certain stages:

• Elementary
• Inspectional
  • Systematic skimming:
    • Title, preface, ToC, index, blurbs, pivotal chapters
    • Skim some pages
  • Superficial reading
    • Read through the book even without understanding without stopping.
    • Ask the questions:
      • What is the book about as a whole?
      • What is being said, and how?
      • Is the book true? in Whole or in Part?
      • What of it?
    • Take notes on the structure, whole & type of book
• Analytical
  • Know the Kind of the book
  • State the Unity of the book in a sentence/paragraph
  • Set for the the major parts, and how they are organized
  • Define the problems the author is trying to solve
  • Find the important words and come to terms with the author
  • Mark the most important sentences and discover their propositions
  • Locate or construct the basic arguments by finding them in the connections of sentences
  • Determine the author's solutions
  • Understand before deciding to judge, or avoiding judgement
  • Disagree in a reasonable fashion, not disputatiously or contentiously
  • Respect the difference between knowledge and personal opinion; give reasons for all critical judgments
  • For criticism
    • Show there the author is uninformed
    • or misinformed
    • or illogical
    • or where the analysis or account is incomplete
  • Extrinsic aids
    • Experience that complements the contents of the book
    • Other books can help frame a book
    • Commentaries and abstracts: read them after the book
    • Reference books can be useful
      • if you can frame a question
      • know where to find the answer
      • know how the reference book is organized
      • what is considered knowable
• Syntopical ¹
  • Survey the field
    • Create a tentative bibliography
    • Inspect all books to acquire a clearer idea
  • Actual reading
    • Inspect relevant books to find passages
    • Construct a neutral terminology across authors
    • Establish neutral propositions across all authors
    • Define major and minor issues that differ across authors
    • Analyze the discussion, prioritize appropriately