How to Learn From a Book advice from 250 yr old Book

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Download a PDF copy of The Improvement of the Mind at the link above as well as many other old memory books

In this video I dissect one of the chapters of Isaac Watts book, the Improvement of the Mind.

It really covers the best way to read and learn from a book

The main points he makes in this chapter .

(by the WAY!!!! - I am listing out here the main points, but if you find this interesting and then you don't actually read the book yourself and think on it then you are NOT following the steps. When you find a book that interests you then you should read it once, twice and maybe more!! Anyway, rant over.....)

1. Not all books are worth reading. If it's poorly written, if it's about a specific event that has already passed on or a subject that is not helpful to you.

2. Read the table of contents and preface and then decide if this is interesting to you. Then read through it once very quickly marking points that are confusing or unknown to you. Read the book again fully through and slower.

3. Read in study groups as you help others see things they may not have and vice versa. This is a great way to learn from a book.

4. Teach it to others. Who learns the most about something? The person who is teaching it. You learn more by teaching and because of that you will learn more from a book when you teach it.

5. Debate the book in your mind and meditate on it. This will make it stronger in your memory. If you think the author has made their point well you can add it to your knowledge. If you don't think it's true, you have still have improved your reasoning skills.

6. See what the author could have done better. This will make you a better writer and reader. If you want to learn from a book make sure that you really think about it.

7. You can rearrange the book after reading if you don't think it was the right order. This helps your reasoning too.

8. If the book doesn't have a table of contents then make one. Keep in mind this book was written in 1741 and today most books have table of contents. But this gives us insight to his mindset of deconstructing the book to learn it. He says a person who reads a book this way will gain more knowledge than someone who reads 20 books quickly.

9. Reading is subservient to learning. Reading is not the goal. The goal is to learn. Eating is not the goal, nourishment is the goal!

10. The person who is content just to read will become a good talker but not a good reasoner. Enter in to debates or arguments with the author.

11. Read the book with an unbiased mind. If you go in to the book with the mindset that you aren't going to like it or disagree then why read it? If you want to learn from a book then go in with an open mind.

12. You must have a foundation of belief to reason against whether it is science or religion. We should always be open to opposing points of views.

13. Keep dictionaries always available and books with facts and geography so you can look it up. Today, we have Google! But the principle is the same. If you don't understand something then look it up.

14. The biggest mistake you could make is to furnish a large library but not read and understand the books.

These are 14 of Isaac Watts suggestions from his book 'The Improvement of the Mind'. I recommend that you download this book in the link at top.

I also have a video on how to remember what you read here youtu.be/FyehamdlV3w