Welcome to Friday,
After a long weekend of travel and very short week of work, I am fully ready to dive back into the books this weekend.
The most interesting reads this week:
Jonathan Haidt’s latest in the May 2022 issue of The Atlantic is an enlightening and important discussion of the effects social media has had on multiple democracies around the world. Crucially, he shares steps the individual (and nations) can take to stem this tide of dysfunction. Highly recommended.
David Perell on the one Book those who consider themselves ‘smart’ or ‘intellectual’ should read. I’ll leave you in suspense, but add that I agree and you can not engage with any major work of art (music, literature, painting, etc.) without tripping over this text.
The School Library Journal on educators’ plans to revamp summer reading lists. I’ve many, many thoughts on this particular bit of reporting, but to summarize; The point of education is not to “have fun,” but rather to grow the mind, and especially, prepare young minds to be capable and knowledgeable adults in the world. I addressed the criticism “old books are dated,” in a brief essay earlier this month, but I will continue to champion this ideal – Reading is about learning about people not like yourself, as well – and should challenge your assumptions and expand your thinking. Finally, while I sympathize with educators going into the summer break (and likely, the dreaded “summer slide” for many of their students), there is much to be desired from the level of reasoning shown here.
In Praise of Memorization: Memorization gets a bad rad these days and is a crucially underrated skill. Simply put, the more knowledge you have banked to draw on (memorized), the more easily you can think about the facts involved. The more you already know, the less time you spend finding a place to start, and you can put time to more fruitful use digging into the data.
Let’s round out this reading about reading fest with a poem, shall we? The final lines from Keats’ ‘Ode on a Grecian Urn’ are some of the most beautiful brought to the page.
Currently reading: On Grief and Reason: The Essays of Joseph Brodsky
Have a lovely weekend.
Image: A Still Life With Roses, Peonies, Tulips, Daffodils, Carnations And Other Flowers In A Vase by Georgius Jacobus Johannes van Os, 1836.
