Not sure if anyone subscribes to Medium - it's an online community (sort of) where writers and bloggers and authors will write content, sometimes technical, sometimes whimsical, and sometimes serious on a wide variety of subjects. I subscribed to it a while back, and though I don't contribute or visit that much, occasionally titles do catch my eye that make me want to read or explore a little more. It being Friday and all, I did notice a title that caught my eye:
The title made me start thinking about the value of reading in and of itself (not so much to make you a better writer, because I think we all get that...). The question that it raised in my mind is whether reading by itself can make you a better person? I'm not sure I agree. So I started asking myself - what does reading do? I came up with an extensive list, and while it's kind of beyond the scope here to share that entire list - here's my short list of the top three.
Can reading make you:
...more informed? Sure.
...more aware of other perspectives? Of course.
...gain a better understanding of the world? Absolutely.
But does being more informed, more aware, and a better understanding of the world make anyone inherently better as a human being?
My problem with the title of the Medium article is this subjective word of "better". If you were to take inherently evil people, and force them to read 1000 books, would that make them better people? I would submit that no, reading does not make them any better (or worse). Primarily, I came to this conclusion based on the presumption that a person's morality doesn't come from books - it comes from within. But, that's a presumption. So, rather than debate it internally ad infinitum, thought it might make for a better sort of Roundtable Discussion. Hence the presence here in AW Roundtable!
Would love to hear others thoughts here. Are there books out there that you think will make anyone a better person? Can one become a better person through reading? Are there any books that changed the essence of who you are and your own outlook on the world or life in general?
Edited to add:
As discussion (hopefully) moves forward, please keep in mind, the goal here is just that - a discussion. Opinions may be shared, and as the mods always say, let's remember to RYFW.
42 Books That Will Make You A Better Person
(Google it for the list of books if you like)
(Google it for the list of books if you like)
The title made me start thinking about the value of reading in and of itself (not so much to make you a better writer, because I think we all get that...). The question that it raised in my mind is whether reading by itself can make you a better person? I'm not sure I agree. So I started asking myself - what does reading do? I came up with an extensive list, and while it's kind of beyond the scope here to share that entire list - here's my short list of the top three.
Can reading make you:
...more informed? Sure.
...more aware of other perspectives? Of course.
...gain a better understanding of the world? Absolutely.
But does being more informed, more aware, and a better understanding of the world make anyone inherently better as a human being?
My problem with the title of the Medium article is this subjective word of "better". If you were to take inherently evil people, and force them to read 1000 books, would that make them better people? I would submit that no, reading does not make them any better (or worse). Primarily, I came to this conclusion based on the presumption that a person's morality doesn't come from books - it comes from within. But, that's a presumption. So, rather than debate it internally ad infinitum, thought it might make for a better sort of Roundtable Discussion. Hence the presence here in AW Roundtable!
Would love to hear others thoughts here. Are there books out there that you think will make anyone a better person? Can one become a better person through reading? Are there any books that changed the essence of who you are and your own outlook on the world or life in general?
Edited to add:
As discussion (hopefully) moves forward, please keep in mind, the goal here is just that - a discussion. Opinions may be shared, and as the mods always say, let's remember to RYFW.