We Need to Make More Readers
Robin Hanson, an associate professor of economics at George Mason University, wrote a compelling and concise essay in 2010 titled “Chase Your Reading.”
In this essay, Hanson argues that readers are more intellectually productive when they adopt a goal-oriented, critical approach (chasing) rather than a passive, exploratory one (searching). By focusi... See more
In this essay, Hanson argues that readers are more intellectually productive when they adopt a goal-oriented, critical approach (chasing) rather than a passive, exploratory one (searching). By focusi... See more
TWN / Issue 14: The Lost Art of Anticipation
... See moreMany students no longer arrive at college—even at highly selective, elite colleges—prepared to read books.
…the student told Dames that, at her public high school, she had never been required to read an entire book. She had been assigned excerpts, poetry, and news articles, but not a single book cover to cover.
The anecdote helped explain the change
if you make people read quickly, they are much less likely to grapple with complex or challenging material. They start to prefer simplistic statements.