How to get more out of a book - Carver Mead's great metaphor
In physics , there is a theory that states atoms exchange energy by resonating with each other.Before this energy exchange to happen ,the two atoms must be phase-matched, oscillating in almost perfect synchrony with each other.
If we extend this to reading before the material can resonate, before energy can be exchanged between the author and reader, the reader must already have available a mode of vibration at the author's frequency. This doesn't mean that the reader is already thinking the author's thought; it means the reader is capable of thinking it.
The author and reader must share a close-enough worldview, viewpoint, vocabulary, set of mental models, sense of aesthetics, and set of goals. For any particular concept in the material, if not enough of these are sufficiently matched, no resonance will occur and no energy will be exchanged.
Perhaps, as a reader, one way to get more out of more material is to collect and cultivate a diverse set of resonators, to increase the probability of a phase-match.
Perhaps this explains why only certain books click for us
Inspired from a reading tip on http://worrydream.com/
If we extend this to reading before the material can resonate, before energy can be exchanged between the author and reader, the reader must already have available a mode of vibration at the author's frequency. This doesn't mean that the reader is already thinking the author's thought; it means the reader is capable of thinking it.
The author and reader must share a close-enough worldview, viewpoint, vocabulary, set of mental models, sense of aesthetics, and set of goals. For any particular concept in the material, if not enough of these are sufficiently matched, no resonance will occur and no energy will be exchanged.
Perhaps, as a reader, one way to get more out of more material is to collect and cultivate a diverse set of resonators, to increase the probability of a phase-match.
Perhaps this explains why only certain books click for us
Inspired from a reading tip on http://worrydream.com/
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