I often questioned if reading tldr books would be worth it since recalling a lot of info in it would be difficult but I am glad I came across this post that encourages me to take it on. I think of it as gaining muscle with a progressive overload or harder workouts when you hit the gym.
Intriguing post. This is why I read most books with a pencil in hand, jotting dots or lines next to striking or informative passages. When I go back to the book, I can easily find them again. (Not great for deep reading / re-reading to find new meaning, but there you go.)
I don't find that reading long tedious difficult books makes it easier for me to remember things. Quite the opposite. I didn't understand what I read of The World as Will and Representation and consequently don't remember much. I remember most from books where I already have some knowledge, say of a historical period, and the new information is thus intelligible and slots in easily. Redundancy on the other hand is helpful for making an idea stick, good practice if the idea is relevant and, especially, actionable, otherwise just boring.
Would the answer change if you were reading a TLDR you could understand?
I ask because of something I discussed with one of the people who edited this essay. There's a threshold of TLDR beyond which the benefits don't apply because it's too difficult. To me, I'll struggle, say, reading one of Carl Jung's complex books. But I believe I can understand any under the right reading setting.
But, assuming I can do that, it will be because I have past knowledge that works as the foundation for the data I'm trying to encode.
On the other hand, I might not be able to understand Wittgenstein's "Tractatus Logico-philosophicus." I've heard it is a challenging book that requires above-average IQ and previous knowledge to grasp.
This does not mean that one should pick books that aren't difficult. But we should pick books that are difficult but within our reach after enough headaches.
there are many. George Orwell's 1984 is one
I often questioned if reading tldr books would be worth it since recalling a lot of info in it would be difficult but I am glad I came across this post that encourages me to take it on. I think of it as gaining muscle with a progressive overload or harder workouts when you hit the gym.
Which book have you been postponing reading because it felt too challenging?
they are quite a number, George Orwell's 1984 is one
Intriguing post. This is why I read most books with a pencil in hand, jotting dots or lines next to striking or informative passages. When I go back to the book, I can easily find them again. (Not great for deep reading / re-reading to find new meaning, but there you go.)
I don't find that reading long tedious difficult books makes it easier for me to remember things. Quite the opposite. I didn't understand what I read of The World as Will and Representation and consequently don't remember much. I remember most from books where I already have some knowledge, say of a historical period, and the new information is thus intelligible and slots in easily. Redundancy on the other hand is helpful for making an idea stick, good practice if the idea is relevant and, especially, actionable, otherwise just boring.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Craig.
Would the answer change if you were reading a TLDR you could understand?
I ask because of something I discussed with one of the people who edited this essay. There's a threshold of TLDR beyond which the benefits don't apply because it's too difficult. To me, I'll struggle, say, reading one of Carl Jung's complex books. But I believe I can understand any under the right reading setting.
But, assuming I can do that, it will be because I have past knowledge that works as the foundation for the data I'm trying to encode.
On the other hand, I might not be able to understand Wittgenstein's "Tractatus Logico-philosophicus." I've heard it is a challenging book that requires above-average IQ and previous knowledge to grasp.
This does not mean that one should pick books that aren't difficult. But we should pick books that are difficult but within our reach after enough headaches.
That makes sense. And indeed if we *work something out as we read it* there's a better chance it will stick, if we make the reasoning our own.