My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am familiar with some of the works of Arthur Schopenhauer and when I heard deep praise for this essay, I knew I had to read it.
Reading about reading is a pleasure of mine, and I am happy to report that this essay, though brief, is full of deeply precise insights which bring to light much of what we readers deeply feel int he first place.
For example, Schopenhauer speaks about how the act of reading is merely repeating the mental process of the author. It does not necessarily engage our mind in a back and forth conversation when the act is occurring in real time. Rather we relax our mental muscles and let ourselves be gently guided by whatever we are reading. I imagine it is much like how a child may trace over an image in order to reproduce it. He goes on to explain that this is why so many of us find repose in reading after a strenuous day, we retire the faculties of our minds and submit it to what we read.
This is a double-edged sword however, for Schopenhauer goes on to mention that the person who reads voraciously is in grave danger of paralysing his mind, leaving it incapable of thinking for itself. Much like how a child used to riding a bike with stabilisers for years is unable to ride without them. This concept was interesting for me to read, since it so gracefully flies in the face of conventional understanding. The one who sees himself as an avid reader can barely see any downside to the fact, but once we realise we are simply having our minds pushed along guided rails the entire time, we are able to realise how important it is for us to withdraw from reading for short periods of time so that the knowledge can sink in and allow space for wisdom to take root.
Another interesting idea is that some books can express a positive harm over its reader. Typically we do not think of books in this way, either they provide benefit or they are seen as inapplicable or useless, and the reader is typically able to discard it in the case of the latter. But in some cases a book may contain ideas that are positively harmful to a man while he enthusiastically absorbs them. Perhaps the ideas contain instructions not applicable to his stage in life or maybe they are simply not suited to his temperament despite their overall truthfulness.
We as readers should have an extra cognitive layer with us that allows us to discern which books are which and to identify anything that may be harmful, though they may seem innocent enough.
I recommend the reading of this short work for anyone who wishes to collect and implement some very interesting insights into the art of reading. There is always something to learn about this topic no matter how much we consider ourselves veterans.
It is a very easy read and can be finished in a single sitting.