Parerga and Paralipomena
On Reading and Books
1851
Translated by T. Bailey Saunders
"When we read, another person thinks for us: we merely repeat his mental process."
When we read, another person thinks for us: we merely repeat his mental process. It is the same as the pupil, in learning to write, following with his pen the lines that have been pencilled by the teacher.
Accordingly, in reading, the work of thinking is, for the greater part, done for us. This is why we are conscious of relief when we turn to reading after being occupied with our own thoughts. But, in reading, our head is, however, really only the arena of some one else's thoughts.
The Danger of Too Much Reading
And so it happens that the person who reads a great deal—that is to say, almost the whole day, and recreates himself by spending the intervals in thoughtless diversion—gradually loses the ability to think for himself; just as a man who is always riding at last forgets how to walk.
"Such, however, is the case with many men of learning: they have read themselves stupid."
Such is the case with very many men of learning: they have read themselves stupid. For to read in every spare moment, and to read constantly, is more paralyzing to the mind than constant manual work, which, at any rate, allows one to follow one's own thoughts.
Just as a spring, through the constant pressure of a foreign body, at last loses its elasticity, so does the mind if it has another person's thoughts continually forced upon it.
The Need for Reflection
And just as one spoils the stomach by overfeeding and thereby impairs the whole body, so can one overload and choke the mind by giving it too much nourishment. For the more one reads the fewer are the traces left of what one has read; the mind is like a tablet that has been written over and over.
"If one reads straight ahead without pondering over it later, what has been read does not take root, but is for the most part lost."
Hence there is no reflection; and only by reflection can what has been read be truly assimilated. If we are not to reflect, we should not read. It is not much use reading a thing twice in order to understand it; for we have to think it over afterwards, and thinking about it is a better way of understanding it than reading it again.
What to Read
"One can never read too little of bad, or too much of good books: bad books are intellectual poison; they destroy the mind."
In order to read what is good one must make it a condition never to read what is bad; for life is short, and both time and strength limited. Books are written by ordinary people for ordinary people. The mass of books is simply unreadable.
He who would acquire a thorough knowledge of any subject would do well to read the great works of the great minds on that subject twice. The first time he will see the whole subject in a general way; the second time he will understand the details, and will appreciate the inter-connection of the parts.
The art of not reading is a very important one. It consists in not taking an interest in whatever may be engaging the attention of the general public at any particular time. When some political or ecclesiastical pamphlet, or novel, or poem is making a great commotion, you should remember that he who writes for fools always finds a large public.
"A precondition for reading good books is not reading bad ones: for life is short."
The End
Source: Monadnock Valley Press (T. Bailey Saunders translation, public domain)
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