Well, seeing a little opening, maybe it's what Nick and I were sort of saying in the first place, that reading is far more difficult than it is reputed to be, at least as hard as writing. With reading all you have is a bunch of words to go bye, are missing the whole context of nuanced life experience the writer invested them with, and have to piece together the whole thing. Well, that is, if the way you're reading is not just for stroking your own peeves and prejudices, but trying to discover the other world that the words on the page came from.
I find I actually carefully read and absorb a substantial part of only two or three books a year, and that it often takes me several days to absorb the pages where the author's ideas are coming together, read over and over and over with sleep in-between. I almost never finish anything. I skim dozens of books and articles for their flavor and to find the critical insights and errors and things, but that's not really reading. Reading is very difficult. Phil Henshaw ¸¸¸¸.·´ ¯ `·.¸¸¸¸ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 680 Ft. Washington Ave NY NY 10040 tel: 212-795-4844 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] explorations: www.synapse9.com > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Günther Greindl > Sent: Monday, March 26, 2007 4:34 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; The Friday Morning Applied > Complexity Coffee Group > Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Scholars and Ignorance > > > Dear Nick, > > thanks for your email, it resonated very much with me, and I > agree, even > in academia only a handful of people have intellectual curiosity. :-( > > So strange that academia is a lonely place for thinkers all too often. > > I am happy to be able to share somewhat in the intellectual > community of > Sante Fe with the FRIAM List! Those are the wonders of the Internet. > > Best Regards, > Günther > > Nicholas Thompson wrote: > > Phil, > > > > My experience in academia is that the first impulse of any > scholar is > > to defend himself againt anything new. I know I do it > myself. Having > > somebody convince you of something new is like being given a new > > computer. Yeah, I s uppose it will be wonderful inthe future, but > > right now I have to spend the next 20 days loading new softward and > > learning new programs and reading "manuals" and hanging on > phones with > > techsupport people. Who wants any of THAT? > > > > Also, i think even well read scholars continue to think that nobody > > understands them. There is a wonderful passag in Darwin's > Dangerous > > Idea where dennett goes windging on about how nobody reads him and > > nobody cares. (Yes, that WOULD be Daniel Dennett of the 15 best > > sellers, etc. ) I thnk most scholars thrive on solitude, > and if they > > dont have it, they will invent it. > > > > One of my great dissapointments about having been an > academic for 40 > > years was the rarety of intellectual community in academia. > This is > > how the friam group in Santa Fe is so extraordinary: > despite working > > hard to make a living, they are still almost the only > group of people > > I have ever worked with that really has intellectual curiosity. > > > > So here is my prescription for survival in a savage world: develop > > the intellectual communities that you can, take them where > they will > > go, and forget the schmucks with the big royalty packages. > > > > You heard if first from me, > > > > Nick > > > > > > -- > Günther Greindl > Departement of Philosophy of Science > University of Vienna > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Blog: http://dao.complexitystudies.org/ > Site: http://www.complexitystudies.org > > -- > Günther Greindl > Departement of Philosophy of Science > University of Vienna > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Blog: http://dao.complexitystudies.org/ > Site: http://www.complexitystudies.org > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org > > ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
