Chapter 12 Aids to Reading
What is the difference between intrinsic and extrinsic reading? What do the authors have to say about using extrinsic aids when reading? (p.166-167)
Intrinsic reading is reading a book by itself, apart from all other books. Extrinsic reading is reading in light of other books. While extrinsic reading includes bringing our experience of reading other books, it also refers to using extrinsic aids to assist in reading. The authors caution against using extrinsic aids when reading – because readers may come to depend on them too much while reading. The authors suggest doing all you can yourself – using the rules of intrinsic reading – before seeking outside help with aids.
What are the four categories of extrinsic aids? (p. 167)
The four categories are relevant experience, other books, commentaries and abstracts, and reference books.
Discuss the role of relevant experience as an extrinsic aid to reading. (p. 167-168)
There are two types of relevant experience – common experience and special experience. Common experience is that experience that is available to us just by being alive. Common experiences do not need to be shared by everyone, just available (the authors distinguish between common and universal). Special experience must be sought after and only come to those who work to acquire it. So while experiencing family life is a common experience (most people will have experienced this), doing scientific research in a lab would be special experience. The authors in fact use reading scientific literature as an example of reading that might require special experience.
How can you know if you have understood what you’ve read in a book, using your common and special experience? (p. 167)
The surest test to whether we understand what we have read if if we can give a concrete example of a point that has been made in what we’ve read. The reader may feel as though they understand what they read, but when prompted, cannot give an example of the point that is being made, indicating a lack of true understanding.
Discuss the role of other books as extrinsic aids to reading? What do the authors say about The Great Conversation (p. 170-171)
There are many great books written on related topics and written in a certain order. Later writers have been influenced by earlier writers, and reading these books in a certain order can make the later books more intelligible. Related books can provide a larger context to help interpret books you are reading. The authors discuss how many great books seem to be involved in a prolonged conversation with each other throughout time – what has been called The Great Conversation. To participate in this conversation, readers should read these books in relation to one another and in order.
Discuss the use of commentaries and abstracts as extrinsic aids to reading. (p. 171-172)
The authors state that commentaries should be used sparingly as extrinsic aids, because while they are enormously useful, they aren’t always right, and may sometimes be misleading. So while they can be helpful, they aren’t exhaustive. And reading a commentary may end up being limiting as a result. When readers get in the habit of reading commentaries, they may find themselves lost when a book they are reading does not have a commentary to help.
As a general rule, when it comes to extrinsic aids – readers should not read a commentary by someone else until after they have read the book themselves.
Discuss the use of reference books as extrinsic aids to reading. (p. 173-174)
The authors discuss two particular reference books – dictionaries and encyclopedias, though there are others. Before a reader can use a reference book as an extrinsic aid, the authors state that there are four kinds of knowledge that are required first.
First, the reader should have some idea, however vague, of what they want to know. Stated another way – the reader needs to ask the reference book an intelligible question.
Second, the reader should know where to find out what they want to know. This means knowing what kind of question is being asked and which kinds of reference books can answer that kind of question.
Third, the reader should know how to use the particular reference book – knowing how the reference book is organized and arranged.
Finally, the reader must know that what is sought in a reference book is considered knowable by the authors of the reference books.
Discuss the use of dictionaries and encyclopedia as reference books. (p. 177-178, 179-180)
Dictionaries contain a wealth of information, including historical information, language development, as well as meaning, word usage, pronunciation and spelling. The authors warn against reading a book in one hand and a dictionary in the other, meaning stopping frequently to look up words in a dictionary, especially in a book’s first read through, as it can disrupt the unity and order of a book.
For encyclopedias, it is important to know how they are arranged – alphabetically? Topically? The authors also point out that encyclopedias do not always agree with their accounts of facts, and so recommend reading more than one as needed.
** Note – assume much of the content following each discussion question is a paraphrase and comes from the book How to Read a Book.
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