Gradation between “Finding” and “Assembling”
We can not separately think about two things: finding useful information and building understanding based on the information. It is a continuous gradation from the reading focused on finding information to the reading focused on assembling information to build understanding. Either is not superior. It is a choice. You should choose based on what you want to do and the quality/content of the book.
British philosopher Francis Bacon compared the book to food. There are foods that you just want to taste a bit, foods that you want to swallow, and foods to chew and digest.
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested: that is, some books are to be read only in parts, others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. --- Francis Bacon. (1625). “Of Studies”
Think about the book which you are going to read. Do you only need to taste? Or do you need to chew and digest?
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