Reading as the Ends not the Means

These are words. Words have meaning. We read and listen to understand the meaning of words. If we could skip this process entirely, would that be optimal? For example, imagine that the meaning of words could be transmitted telepathically from one individual to another. Imagine that this applied for that jargon-filled research paper and that one hardly comprehensible philosophy book. While eliminating the process of reading may seem time efficient, the actual activity of reading allows for more learning. Being told the meaning is much different than interpreting the text and arriving at the meaning yourself. Reading begins a critical component of education that promotes a diversity of opinions and individuality.

Interpretation of words serves to diversify the ways words can be read. Not every person is going to have the same impression from a novel. Some of the most interesting conversations about books come from competing interpretations. That is what gives books life—they provide a different experience for every reader. I remember back in middle school there were some heated discussions about the characters of Harry Potter. It was especially heated because each person had their own thoughts about the characters’ motivations and personalities. If the “objective” meaning of the books were transmitted directly to our brains, then this type of discussion would never have come about. The ability to see things in a new perspective is another benefit of differing interpretations. If another person interprets a passage in a certain way, it expands my perspective on the passage. The same concept goes for entire books and the meaning the book has. This ability to understand others’ positions is important for learning and for the future of humanity. Without meaningful discourse and the willingness to listen to others, the road to a peaceful future becomes much more difficult. Reading is a process that necessitates an interpretation, which is why it is so important.

Critical thinking is another reason that the process of reading is useful. Through deconstructing the words, readers are able to make logical connections in order to garner the meaning behind the words. This process actually requires reading the words. Not all texts are going to explicitly state the point in clear and easy words. Philosophy texts, for example, are dense with meaning, but it is not frequently stated in a concise way that makes for easy reading. The activity of reading allows readers to develop their cognitive skills by logically determining the meaning in a text. This was demonstrated through a study that separated students into a few experimental groups. The groups consisted of reading, writing, both reading and writing, and a control group. The study found that there were significant contrasts between the group that engaged in reading and writing and the group that did neither.[1] In tests for critical reading skills, the control group was doing much worse than the other groups. Reading allows for critical thinking skills to develop.

In our gradually increasing technological society, it is sometimes difficult to find moments of peace. These times of solace are crucial to give us times to wind down and observe the world that surrounds us as well as the world within us. Reading allows us to become isolated from all the noise and experience the world through words. Our society is becoming very knowledge driven—every moment of the working day is spent either receiving or relaying knowledge. The professor lectures, the student listens, the IT employee troubleshoots, and the doctor diagnoses. We are always surrounded by this noise of knowledge that buzzes around us constantly. Sometimes, it is just a relief to open up a book and have a two-way dialogue with the book. Yes, the book itself is a means of knowledge, but the reader determines the pace of this knowledge. There is no frantic rush to fulfill a deadline. All that exists is the reader and the words on the page. There are so many different types of books that this moment of peace can be used for almost anything. Books can describe the structure of society, the beauty of the world, or even a method of introspection. The best part about reading is that the reader can slowly, methodically dissect this information and construct it in a way that is meaningful to them. This paced relationship with a book is part of what allows readers to have a sigh of relief when curling up on their bed to read a book. For a brief moment in time, their struggles dissipate under the rhythmic flow of words.