One book is not enough

In last week's note I wrote about how I apply Mortimer Adler's Inspectional Reading Concept to eliminate my reading debt and focus on what matters.

After deciding what's worth reading, the next step is to work on how I take notes to make the best out of the book or article.

I used to write glorified book summaries. I rephrased the main points and called them insights. All I was really doing was repeating someone else's thinking in my own words.

I noticed that basing my notes on a single book traps me inside the author's notation and blind spots. To produce original thought I need to stop summarizing one source. I need to force different thinkers into a conversation around a specific problem. That's what Mortimer Adler defined as Syntopical Reading in How to Read a Book.

Here's how I apply Adler's concept:

• Define the question first. I write down the exact problem I want to solve before opening any source text.
• Standardize the vocabulary. When writing my note, I avoid quoting directly from the book. I translate the author's private jargon into my own clear language.
• Map agreements and conflicts. I find 3 to 4 thinkers who are relevant to the problem I am solving. I list them side-by-side to isolate where they agree and contradict each other.
• Extract my own conclusion. I build my conclusion based on the arguments and my own interpretation.

I have learned to stop acting like an archivist for other people's books. Now I read with a purpose by setting the agenda, controlling the dialogue, and making the ideas work for my system.

This is identical to how I connect my notes across different areas. I am keeping the simple process to make my notes more useful and insightful.

Just another thought from Gav.