How do you read and digest non-fiction information?
I am on a path of self development and trying to learn more about politics and philosophy. I don't know if I'm just stupid but I struggle to properly digest "heavier" reading (literature and non-fiction)
For example, I was interested in Foucault's ideas so I tried to read discipline and punish. I read the words, but I realised that I was not truly digesting them or properly understanding them. It was incredibly frustrating.
I tried to read The Idiot but could barely retain anything from the novel as I was reading and struggled to get through it.
I want to be able to read these works and understand them, and develop my own thoughts about them and ultimately use them in my own approach to the world, but I really struggle.
It's demoralising and I want to be better. Any advice on properly reading is welcomed!
by Bright_Tax628
4 Comments
Here are a couple of things that work for me :
– reading out loud
– explaining the ideas to someone else
– watching summeries after reading
– repetition (doing multiple books on the same subject)
There’s a Huberman lab episode on learning methods. The most effective is self-testing. Read a chapter. Then do a test to recall the chapter.
Read a paragraph. Close book. Write down main idea of paragraph. Open book, reread, check your answer. If wrong, close book and rewrite. This also creates study notes, which I find are best reviewed 2-3 days later.
Foucault is brutal even for native speakers, don’t beat yourself up about that one. I had similar problems when I started reading philosophy – what helped me was taking notes while reading, like actually writing down key points in my own words every few pages.
Also maybe try starting with easier philosophy books before jumping into the deep end, something like “Sophie’s World” gives you good foundation before tackling the heavy stuff