Sun 2 Jan, 2011 04:30 am
Just generally curious - what are the advantages of being well-read over not being well-read? And who exactly would you consider well-read?
@spidergal,
I think it depends a great deal upon what a person is reading.
Reading does make one more knowledgable, according to one's ability to retain such. However, I believe that wisdom comes from contemplation as well.
I would consider someone well read who understands the human relationship between the author and the reader.
There is the reading of novels for entertainment, there is the reading of history for knowledge, and there is the reading of authors for that human connection.
Reading allows us to learn from people we have never met, which considering how limited our exposure to others is by time, geography and social structures is a HUGE deal. It is very difficult to pursue a field of knowledge or an intellectual interest by connections with people that we meet alone, if we want to get very far reading is required.
The problem with your question is what one means by wiser. Wisdom comes from the experience of human behavior, in my opinion, so reading could possibly make us wiser. As with the exposure to any other type of information, and as Wayne pointed out, the value of the experience will depend upon our ability to learn the lessons offered.
@spidergal,
spidergal wrote:
Just generally curious - what are the advantages of being well-read over not being well-read? And who exactly would you consider well-read?
Being well read gains knowledge allowing one to see conjunctions between things. But it is essential that one has rationallity to comprehend simple matters, else you just end like a "Rain Man" who knows alot, but can't make any sense of his great knowledge, which is why such person can't be considerd wise and at times unintelligent, Cyracuz and Fido are excellent case studies.
We must study history, many scorn it and only look to the future, thus are doomed to repeat the same mistakes over and over
..but generally yes, it will eradicate ignorence and the average western human are way more enlighten than the averate person back in the medival times.
@spidergal,
Reading keeps the brain stimulated which means a greater chance at learning new things which might make a person wiser by the readng and the conversatiions which can be had regardng read materials and hearing and watching programs discussing the book.
n
The second particle isn't making sense. I can list several that are well read but they aren't members here which means there's little sense listing them.
It isn't possible to be over read, things read may need sorting and filing but the read material might always have a use even if it doesn't seem like it at the time, there's the future.
@spidergal,
spidergal wrote:
Just generally curious - what are the advantages of being well-read over not being well-read? And who exactly would you consider well-read?
"Reading maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing an exact man." Sir Francis Bacon
@kennethamy,
Yep. Reading give us access to all kinds of pithy wisdom.
When I was Spider's age, I had the view that I had raised myself, even though I had good parents who tried their best. I got that view since my mother wasn't much of a help for a shy girl trying to learn about the larger world; she was still shy herself and had quite unplastic viewpoints. My father was in many ways wise, and was a help - I wish we had had more talks before he became quite troubled psychologically. I read like a madwoman and still do, many decades later.
A few years ago I had a lot of visual challenges and my overwhelming fear was of no longer being able to read. This has passed, the vision in one eye is secure. But, even then, if worse had come to worse, I still had and have mentally stored much of what I have read that has been formative, year after year after year... not in a photographic way (oh, I wish), but as a constantly resynthesizing aglomeration of my own takes on what I read. All that synthesizing, did that make me wise? Sure, sometimes I am, and sometimes I am the opposite.
I'm a visual learner, so reading and just looking around me and moving through space have been my learning modes. I'm much less an auditory learner, can't quite organize what I am hearing as well as I can what I am seeing.
@roger,
When you've finished reading something particularly wise, does it leave you all pithed off?
@spidergal,
spidergal wrote:
Just generally curious - what are the advantages of being well-read over not being well-read?
just knowledge and some truth
being not well read , can lead to discovery though
@ossobuco,
he resorts to lemon wax..
@HexHammer,
Quote:, it will eradicate ignorence and the average western human are way more enlighten than the averate person back in the medival times.
That would depend on ones definition of 'enlightened'. In poorer countries, the people often appear more enlightened than in rich countries, where a large and growing percentage of the population have become more and more individualistic - with all the attendant confusion, social, interactive, and property problems that arise when individualism severely outweighs sense of community.
I would say that reading allows for a greater awareness of people and life in general.
@vikorr,
vikorr wrote:
Quote:, it will eradicate ignorence and the average western human are way more enlighten than the averate person back in the medival times.
That would depend on ones definition of 'enlightened'. In poorer countries, the people often appear more enlightened than in rich countries, where a large and growing percentage of the population have become more and more individualistic - with all the attendant confusion, social, interactive, and property problems that arise when individualism severely outweighs sense of community.
I would say that reading allows for a greater awareness of people and life in general.
I see your point
but individualism is still very important
@north,
north wrote:
spidergal wrote:
Just generally curious - what are the advantages of being well-read over not being well-read?
just knowledge and some truth
being not well read , can lead to discovery though
Yes, isn't ignorance just wonderful. I am sure that Newton discovered gravity by being ignorant of physics and mathematics. How else?
@north,
I have no idea if I agree with you on varied matters, north, but I like your participation.
@vikorr,
vikorr wrote:
Quote:, it will eradicate ignorence and the average western human are way more enlighten than the averate person back in the medival times.
That would depend on ones definition of 'enlightened'. In poorer countries, the people often appear more enlightened than in rich countries, where a large and growing percentage of the population have become more and more individualistic - with all the attendant confusion, social, interactive, and property problems that arise when individualism severely outweighs sense of community.
I would say that reading allows for a greater awareness of people and life in general.
Dude, you totally missed my point, read again.
@HexHammer,
Hi Hex,
I didn't miss your point - I didn't like the context of your use of the word 'enlightened'. Had you said 'less superstitious', or 'more knowledgeable' I wouldn't have commented.
Hi North,
I agree that individualism is important. From my perspective, Individualism and Community should balance each other, with neither being overall more important. Unfortunately in the west, governments promote and back individuality at the expense of community, and then the governments (amazingly) have a tendency to bemoan the lack of community.
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