Reading to Generate Ideas
The power of a good book is in the intimate relationship of author and reader. It is a transaction that takes place in solitude. It invites you to think for yourself about some subject away from the context of other people. The author should be able to lead you to nourishing food or refreshing water, and, though he or she cannot make you drink, he or she should provide you with plenty of encouragement to do so. These almost unique conditions of inner dialogue enable a good book to reach deep into your consciousness. You don’t have to plod through a book from page one to the end. You can skip and skim. Therefore there is little point in taking a speed reading course. ‘I am not a speed reader,’ said space fiction writer Isaac Asimov, ‘I am a speed understander.’ Taste the contents, then select what you wish to chew and swallow. Never swallow first, for if you believe everything you read it is better not to read. The delights of reading in this spirit are legendary. We can travel in time, transcending our own culture and our own day. For, as Descartes wrote, ‘To converse with those of other centuries is almost the same as travelling.’ Remember the points in earlier chapters: you may discover ideas, practices, facts or technologies in these distant times and places that suddenly connect with your present interests and concerns. You may be surprised to discover the unexpected by happy serendipity. Did you know, for example, that: Solomon’s temple was protected by lightning rods? Nero devised a coin-in-the-slot machine? The Caesars had three elevators in their palace?
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