You can also just simply read for enjoyment. Reading intensely at all times can get demanding for most of us. For an even more demanding level of reading... you can check out Ralston College below and learn to read in Greek. Now that sounds intense. Check it out below. Ralston College: www.ralston.ac/humanities-ma?
I didn’t see any coffee there at Ralston but I may have over looked it. If I am perusing a path of learning Greek, we need copious amount of coffee on hand to accomplish that task. Brings an entire new meaning to a Greek tragedy!
My father has an immense library. A treasure trove of classic volumes. He has heavily marked in them, drawn in them, written the personal reflections of his mind and heart. Many of these books have already been passed on to me. I have so enjoyed reading his notes and seeing his markings on the pages. It’s like having him reading along with me. I have also added my own thoughts and notes. Now my children pick up those same volumes and laugh or wonder at the things we’ve written in them. When my library passes on to them someday, they will have a priceless treasure. A family heirloom. They will always be able to find their grandfather and their mother within the pages as they travel along the same literary paths that so delighted us. I always enjoy your videos! Keep it up!
I love this comment. As I write in mine sometimes I often think will my grandkids or beyond appreciate the notes and ideas. I sometimes even leave notes randomly to people in the future and add current events that relate to the book. This comment brought me such joy. I truly hope they appreciate them as you said you do. I write the definitions I don’t know at the top of every page as well so maybe they will at least appreciate not having to look them up. Haha thank you so much for watching and stay blessed!
@bonnieborwn1566 Thank you for sharing that your dad annotated in his books and you have been blessed with his treasure. A booktuber has said people who annotate in their books are monsters. Hello, I am a monster. LOL Your family heirloom sounds delightful. 🤗
You make me want to write into books too. II never did anything like that. Even highlighting I only used when the teacher demanded it from me. But first I need to find a wife to be able to find children. If I can't inherent the books then that seems pointless.
Yes indeed. It is so practical and easy to put in use. I am going to use some of the methods in the way I read through the rest of the Harvard Classic series. Some of the advice was so simple that I am kind of embarrassed I never thought of it before. Lol
Easy to like content that confirms my new methods of scholarship. The idea of starting with questions, making a list, then deciding on the order? Thats part of what revolutionized my reading habits 4 years ago. Keep up the good work. Can't wait for some more Milton!
Exactly. I am going to implement a lot of this material into my series on the Harvard Classics. That is a big reason I wanted to squeeze this book in before continuing with Milton. Truly appreciate you watching my friend!
I do syntopic reading for work: Engineering, Physics & Math. The opportunity to do so was rare when I was a young, sexy Physics Major in the 80's: getting problem sets and lab reports completed on time were sufficient challenges! Two books at the same level may cover "the same stuff" but have very different approaches to the subject. Working through derivations, examples and problems are *still* invaluable when "dusting-off" previous material, and learning new stuff.
Me!? Well I do appreciate the compliment my friend. That really means a lot. I have never considered myself that good but with the help of this channel it is something that I have been working on. Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
Glad I found your channel, it gives me hope that reading these books will be trendy and thy can start influencing society again. I try to promote the classics in my barber shop.
I hope so. A trend in that direction would be amazing. Lots of life advice you can get a barber shop. Keep spreading the message my friend and thanks for watching.
Mom, sister, and maybe older brother. Helped us( I’m a twin. Identical) start reading before, starting before we started to school. In the years. Have read across a lot of different styles. Fiction, non-fiction, horror, lots of history on WW2. Biographies , also. An the Bible. Some books I have devoured. Also Science Fiction. Some great books. Love this channel. Cause it’s gotten me to get some classic books to read.
I am glad to hear its motivated you to dive into the classics. Sadly I was about the only reader in my family. Hoping to change that with my kids. I bet reading that early really helped set you ahead going forward. Thanks so much for watching buddy!
It is. I started doing that with the American Revolution and I am getting to a point now where I have personalities for most of the characters so when and author introduces something that is not true I can pick it out pretty quickly. I love Churchill as well. He was like Englands Benjamin Franklin. haha
Grenville Kleiser wrote a fantastic tome titled "How to Build Mental Power" which takes the reader through an early 1900's self-development curriculum. I highly recommend it.
You and I both. I told my kids if they go to a college like that I may pack up and go with them. haha Honestly colleges like Ralston are about the only ones I would support my kids going to now. Things have changed so fast over just the time since I went. I can only imagine what it will be like when they get that age. Thanks for watching my friend and stay blessed!
Thank you for the thoughtful video. This is my first time visiting your channel. When speaking with a a friend he commented to me that I was not listening but preparing my response well before he had finished his idea. The first thing I thought of was to say, "I was on the Speech and Debate Team in High School, not the Speech and Listen Team!" How true! Waiting for another to finish a thought or read a book completely before forming an opinion is something I know that I can improve on and that I have not always been the best at. Pride and ego get in the way of speaking, writing, and reading in ways that I am not always aware but sometimes can catch myself indulging. Your talk is a helpful reminder to read fully and listen well. Thanks!
One thing you and Adler both missed is the concept of coffee. Never underestimate the effects of a good cup of Joe on your reading. Other than that, good video Rob.
Thanks, this presentation brought some long-forgotten aspects to my development as a writer and teacher. Your delivery was excellent, and you broke down the Adler’s work clearly. You avoided the common TH-cam problems, giving us the critical elements in a focused yet relaxed manner. I loved the fact that you spoke while holding your coffee cup, an unconscious manner I have had over the course of my 25 years as a college instructor. A student told me years ago that the simple, unconscious addition made our online course chat feel more like discussion in a hip coffee shop. I look forward to library and watching your future efforts.
Thank you so much for the kind words and the generosity! That truly means a lot. I never thought of the coffee mug making the conversation feel more inviting but I can definitely see that now. Depending on the length of the video if I am not drinking all the way through it my voice starts to give out. Makes me respect the professors and teachers that lecture all day. I guess you get use to it though. I truly appreciate you watching my friend and hope you stay blessed!
I travel through the shelves of the library, learning at least one key thing from each book. I'm anazed at the things I never knew. Every week learning something new.
Rob, I’m also reminded of Louise Rosenblatt’s 1938 Literature as Exploration. She described reading as a transaction between the reader and the text. Meaning, she argued, is not the printed text or in the reader’s mind, but rather the interaction between the two. I’d also add, reading contexts also shapes the transactions. Rosenblatt noted there are “text specific” passages that are explicitly stated, but often the bigger picture meaning are transactional subject to context. She gave the example of text specific with in Hamlet Act I, scene V the ghost claims to be the spirit of Hamlet’s dead Dad (the senior Hamlet). It’s explicit-not open to interpretation. However, the broader interpretation of the play can vary with different readers, or re-reading where contexts change. For me a good example is my understanding of the Bible upon my first reading in contrast to now, some 50 years later. I’d also recommend Alberto Manguel’s A History of Reading. It’s an amazing read. God’s peace my friend! Mike
Thanks for sharing! I will most definitely check these books out. Never heard of Louise Rosenblatt. I like the concept of the interaction between the two. The meaning of a text can be completely different depending on what you have read in the past and your personal experience. I think in that way, books communicate with everyone in a slightly different way. Very good point. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed!
I'm rereading this right now. It was required for my seminary hermeneutics course. My mind was blown then, and now as I've begun with the Greeks, and plan to follow with as many of the great classics as I can in time, it's a good time to get grounded again.
Rob, you did a great job presenting this material. It was nice how you presented the information the author wanted us to know and then " got out of the way.” So often, people try too hard to further explain the material as if they wrote it or themselves have mastery over it. Keep up the good work!
There is a shorter essay by the same name in the first edition set of The Great Books of the Western World, and I quite enjoyed it. Growing up, all my books were borrowed from the library, so I never marked in them, and still have a slight aversion to the idea. But Adlers arguments did sway me pretty well to adjust my thinking. However, I also find I never have nearly enough room to write my thoughts in the margin. So I keep a nice journal and write down my thoughts about what I read there. Sometimes this is simply a synopsis of the story, sometimes its a rambling brain dump of thoughts that occurred to me as I read. The extra benefit of this method is that, a year or twn later, I can flip through and follow my own reading progress, look up particular books, etc. all in one place. If I tried to remember what I wrote in the margin of a book ten years ago I would never find it again! Moreover, I can keep notes on books that are borrowed or ebooks, as well.
Those are all really good points! I think the notes in the books work great on a series like the Harvard Classics because the set usually stays together and it is easy to grab and flip through. I like the idea of keeping longer written ideas in a journal. Sometimes the margin just does not have enough margin! haha Thanks for your time and stay blessed!
Great to know, thanks for sharing- I got 2 copies of this book bought at different times from different second hand bookshops! Now i think I'm gonna finally read this book!
I would highly suggest it. It is a great book which explains the different levels of reading. Good luck and thanks for watching. Stay blessed my friend!
My man Rob, you never cease to impress me with the breadth of interests and pursuits that you've been sharing over the years! I'm definitely going to pick up this book and check it out. My own journey in reading began very early (also participated in RIF as a child), having finished Charlotte's Web by age 6 and moved on to classics like Last of the Mohicans, Moby Dick, etc. by age 10. Although I don't read nearly as much as I would like (or should) any longer, the foundation that it provided me early in life has been an immeasurable asset in everything I've done, both professionally and personally. I've had The Great Books collection from Britannica for 30 years and read various ones, but thinking I may go back and start at the beginning and read through them all in sequence. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks for the kind words my friend. I hope to have my kids reading as you described soon. I would love to see them reading Moby Dick by that age. Venturing down the Great Books is a goal of mine as well. Since I started in the Harvard Classics I will complete this journey first. I think it will be a good preliminary before I venture down the entire Great Books set. Truly appreciate you watching my friend and as always stay blessed!
Idk about the reading aid one. I agree with pretty much everything except for that. There are passages in certain textbooks I have greatly struggled with, until I heard them read back to me in text to speech. I also get a ton of anxiety while reading and can't control myself from skipping forward. The free natural voice TTS allow me to focus on the material without feeling distracted by that second nature. I think at also helps significantly because it really locks me in. I get two forms of sensory input (reading/visual and auditory). It probably doubles my comprehension (I'm not exagerating), as I understand almost everything as if the teacher is there with me. The only struggle after the comprehension is retention of terminology. It is a tool, and I would encourage those who struggle concentrating to use it as an aid.
Really great points and I am glad you shared that. I actually just used something similar on Paradise Lost. I read it physically but then also listened to it to hear the flow and pronunciation from an expert. I agree it helped me retain and understand it so much better. Truly appreciate you watching and stay blessed my friend!
"The skill and power of reading well can save your soul, change your life and bring you joy." What a truth bomb that is. And special cheers for having mentioned salvation first. Jesus is King.
Yes indeed! I try to keep it to a minimum on the channel but I feel I drop just enough crumbs that if a soul is looking for help he knows were he can find it. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed my friend.
Just found your channel last night and I’m so glad I did. I began learning American history by reading at least one biography of each president. I’m on Thomas Jefferson(Dumas Malone’s 6 volume set) and have added other books about subjects I read about in these that I find myself lacking a basic knowledge on. You’re so right when you said you have to a well rounded knowledge and not just one side. I’m going to get a copy of this book because it sounds really interesting. When I first glanced at the authors names I thought, “Not Charles Van Doren?”. Very interesting guy. His uncle, Carl Van Doren, wrote history and biography. Charles was the “Quiz Show” guy.
I’m glad you did as well! That’s kind of how I started too. I read John Adams my David McCullough and then the dominoes started to fall after that. Hamilton by Chernow and then Washington by Chernow. It’s a rabbit hole for sure. I don’t think you will be disappointed with Adler’s book. It’s a good one. Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
I didn't know you, and at 1:37, I subscribed to your channel. It might be the first time I have done that, and that's a huge compliment from me. I was curious about this book; how you articulate your thoughts is top-notch. Good job, Brother!
I’m glad to find your channel - just found it today, August 19, 2024. My little book club is planning to read War and Peace starting in September and finishing in December, so I don’t suppose I’ll have time to read Paradise Lost.
I’ve seen the brick of a book know as War and Peace but I have yet to tackle it. I imagine that will take most of the Fall to get through! Haha Paradise Lost will be waiting on you when you finish. Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
I recently figured that Watching videos passively takes a toll on us humans compared to those who actively watch or learn the videos they are intaking. Actively reciting for example.
Very good point. I just had this conversation with my wife last night. I have been so focused on the quantity of information that I never listen to anything more than once. The past couple months I have just been listening through the lectures of Michael Sugrue and I am picking up so much the second and third time listening. It is just deeper for sure. Thanks for sharing and very great point. Stay blessed!
I’ve had the Adler book for years, and have never finished it- because it’s a spectacularly boring read. Edit: Where are my manners? Thank you for posting this digest. You are doing great work, sir.
I enjoy your videos. Thank you! One thing that makes me jump, is when you are including the text of a quote, and have a spelling error in it. I don't understand that. I am looking forward to learning more from you, and from the books you are working through.
I will double check them better. Sometimes I miss them but I try and catch as many as possible. Thanks for the feedback as I want to make the videos as good as possible. Thanks for watching my friend and stay blessed!
Ralston College is a perfect sponsor for your Harvard Classics (and other classic books) channel. Great Adler quote: “playing with words… not thoughts and knowledge”
They are! I was very surprised when they reached out to me. Very nice and easy to deal with too. Adler has some great lines in the book that I was not expecting from a book like that. I know he has some other books out so I might try and pick a couple more up. Really enjoyed his style. Thanks for watching brother!
Last month I read Caesar by Adrian Goldsworthy and I was impressed at how direct his facts were and how less bias it was. I read a lot of history and I don't like the bias and what I call propaganda. Then I end up hate reading; hacking my way through the weeds, so to speak. Reading nonfiction is definitely not the same as reading a fictional book. I have that book and recently chatted with my son in law and he said, "If only there was a book about 'how to read.'" and I said, "oh but there is!" LOL And I happen to have an extra copy. This month the family will be visiting and I will give him his own copy. 👍📚 Ah! yes, when I participate in middle grade march, I feel I am not learning and I need to read nonfiction immediately. Great review. Now I need to mow the farm, because it's spring time. LOL Have a blessed weekend brother.
I just finished mowing the grass as well! Haha with the rain and heat it’s been growing crazy down here. I read Caesar by Goldworthy years ago and I had Augustus in my queue but haven’t started it yet. Good author. Ron Chernow is probably one of my favorite when it comes to biographies and he paints the picture so well. I agree with the need for fiction. I think I get too focused on reading to learn instead of reading to enjoy sometimes. I truly appreciate you watching and hope your reading is going well. Stay blessed!
As a teenager in the 90s Iwould go to bookstores and read a chapter or two every time i walked by (either to or from work) until the whole book was finished. I took great care to not mark the book in any way so it was still new and perfect condition. This is how i read many books! 😅😊
So you shoplifted knowledge from the poor little bookstore! Haha Just kidding. I use to sip in Barnes and Noble and read a good bit back in the day. Great atmosphere for reading. Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
The survival of Western Civilization is threatened without its foundational texts and the knowledge of history. Thank you for continuing to honor and study these books.
I completely agree. Trying to my small part to keep it alive and hopefully this little channel inspires others to pick up the torch and continue pressing on. Truly appreciate you watching my friend!
According to my own experience of reading books since almost two decades is just keep reading and you will come to ends that discovering your own world which you never knew it's existed. Happy Reading
Yes indeed. Every book I read helps fill in the painting in my mind of what is. The more I read the more clear the picture becomes. Humbly I admit, it is no where near complete! haha Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed!
10:07 reminds me of a quote from retrieving realism, by Hubert Dreyfus and Charles Taylor: "no understanding the other without a change to understanding a self" - which I take to be a cut deeper in this relational domain of communication
This is one my favorite and most impactful books of all time! You definitely did it justice in this review Rob! Just wanted to say again that I’m so glad to have stumbled across your work, I’m loving catching up on all your content. Also, the Harvard Classics and the Great Books are two collections I’ve been dreaming of adding to my library for years now… as someone who owns them both, if you could only choose ONE, which one would you go with? 😁
oh man... that is a tough question! As in all great answers it depends... haha The Harvard classics are bigger print and the set I have is nice to read through because the page quality and font size. The HC do not cover near what the great books cover and is a smaller set. If I had to guess about 1/2 the material of the Great Books. The Great Books covers the topics in chronological order. So you start with Homer and the Greeks in volume one and by volume 60 you are at Hemingway, Nietzsche., and Orwell. The Harvard Classics were created in 1909 so it will not have hardly any modern writers. I would choose the Harvard Classics if I wanted to enjoy some old literature and read through and actually hope to finish. I would choose the Great Books of the Western World if I wanted to deep dive into western civilization and have a complete chronological idea of history. Lastly the great books are organized in my opinion a little better. Time is needed for both. I figure if I was just reading and not making videos I could get through the Harvard classics in about 3-4 years, I think the Great Books would be closer to 7-8. Sorry to ramble and hope this helps!
@@The_Cause bro, never apologize for the ramble, i love it! :D really appreciate the nuance thought about it and actually taking to answer well. I know eventually i'll have both, but i think my heart is set on the Great Books first.. the way my brain works, i love getting the whole big picture and then breaking it down to its requisite part, so being able to follow the train of thought and discourse from the beginning just sounds amazing to me!
wonderful review, really enjoyed hearing your perspective of the book and nice to see you finally getting sponsors) how long does it take you to finish that book? whats your reading schedule like?
A friend gave this book to me. I have yet to read it. I may have to look through it tonight when I get home. Guess this is a good of sign as any to actually read it. Thanks so much for watching my friend.
Haha that is hilarious. Mr. Adler would be proud that his work has reached the flannel/camo wearing populace! Thanks for watching and stay blessed my friend!
#10:55 for me that's one of the most powerful line in that book, reading is like fighting so to get the full grasp of the subject, you'll have to train and put the work in. i.e thinking and read for oneself. the reading aids helps but should be used afterwards
Rob, This week I launched a series on my channel called "Books You Should Read." The inaugural book? Adler and Van Doren's How to Read. Beyond that coincidence, we both took time in our video treatment of this great book to extol the virtues of the Western canon. For anyone reading this comment, please do yourself a favor and study How to Read a Book. It may very well be the most important book you'll ever read because it unlocks the ability to read with understanding and that is necessary if you want to truly read the books of the Great Conversation here with Rob. Brian (ELA+)
Hey Brian! I am going to have to go check it out. Thanks for letting me know. It was a very good book indeed. It is crazy how much you can learn from such a simple and practical book as this one. Stay blessed my friend and I hope you are enjoying your TH-cam journey.
@@The_Cause Thanks Rob. The You Tube journey is going well. Having started in January, I set myself the goal of getting to 100 subscribers by June. It looks like I'll get there. I'd like to see a new American Republic of Letters. Doing my small, amateurish part to contribute. My project with the channel is to build a You Tube video lesson library of English studies from the ABCs and phonics, to grammar, to reader's guides to the classics and reading suggestions. That'll take time. I hope I have the patience and perseverance for it.
I found that sometimes we think that we understand, but don't actually. I found that sometimes we don't understand, because the book is too concise for us to understand. In those cases critiquing something you haven't understood is a good thing if you do it in a place where you can get pushback. Only if you have to state your claim and you have to make an argument for your position can you truely find out if your reasoning is solid. Sometimes you find the flaws before anybody gives a reply. That is just as much true for the author as it is for the one critiquing the author. This is one of the reasons why I write TH-cam comments. On this platform I have a lot of time to formulate my thoughts. I shout it into the world and sometimes the world talkes back. Through people who push back I have learned things they didn't even intend to teach me. Some have called me ignorant as I voiced opinions which they found absurd. Sometimes that has definitely been justified, and sometimes they thought I'm ignorant because I had a different worldview. As always with TH-cam comments, we do not know the person on the other end. All we have is that one comment and usually we just skimread it. So dealing with missunderstandings on both ends is an even bigger topic than usual. This forces me to write in a more clear manner to have at least done my part as a person communicating. I admire people who can read something and then ponder on it for half an hour. But maybe my brain is also admireable. I have a quick and slow mind. I can read something and immediately connect things together. But if I can't do it, then thinking about it for half an hour doesn't change anything. For one I already made all the connections I can make at the moment and also my thoughts wander off very easily. The reason why I said I have a slow mind is because I often hear something and then I just throw it into my subconciousness. It doesn't matter if I fully understood it yet. The next time I come across a similar topic I can connect what I've learend previously and what I newly learned. Because of that I don't worry if I didn't understand something. After all in a few months or years I may hear something new and then I will be able to understand it more fully. I agree that if you want to understand a topic more fully, you need to view it from multiple perspecitves. My method is a bit of a different one. I am a broadly interested person. To get an insight into many different fields, I like to read a book of an expert within each field I'm currently curious about. That will give me a completely biased view on that topic. Especially since I usually pick books that at least partially agree with my biases. But at the same time, experts usually respond to other experts. And thanks to that, I'm at least aware of opposing positions. If my goal is to reduce my bias then my method is pretty bad. After all the only bias I reduce is the bias that I have as a layperson, not the bias which stems from my worldview. But having a decent insight into various fileds can also help broaden the mind. I don't mind if my bias is reduced over time. But I don't like the feeling of changing my views too fast. So I'd rather do it in a slow way that fits my taste.
Very good points. I would consider your time spent learning slowly as more pursuing understanding then feeling like you truly understand in the moment. Which I think we are in agreement there. Adler mentioned the experience aspect of what you are referring and after decades of storing up all this info and being able to recall things that you have learned and experienced you can understand more deeply then someone who is younger. I also agree that stating your opinion and then letting others pick it apart is a great way to better understand what you may have misunderstood. TH-cam comments have helped me on these videos. To actually include this one. Very good points and I truly loved reading this comment. Thanks so much for watching and I truly hope you stay blessed!
@@The_Cause _"Which I think we are in agreement there."_ My point was not to disagree with you. I find everything you said great and I love all the quotes you selected. There were a lot of gems among them. I just showed how I do it, which is an alternate route with a slightly different goal in mind. Also not every person is the same learning type. Some learn better through an excessive use of a highlight marker while others learn better through talking about it. And then there is me who just throws everything into the subconcious mind and let it work there. _" I would consider your time spent learning slowly as more pursuing understanding [...]"_ There is a reason behind this. Probably more than one, but I'm aware of one. I grew up in a Christian household in Switzerland. Some of the books of my mom were of young earth creationism. That is basically the idea that we take Genesis 1 as it reads and then try to find out if that is compatible with science. As secular science on the popular level is soaked in interpretations based on certain assumptions you really need to dig deep if you want to seriously combine the scientific findings and the natural reading of the first few chapters of Genesis. At school I learned the secular models while in my freetime I learned a possible alternative. Thanks to that I got a bit of an insight behind the scenes. My current conclusion is that neither side has a fully convincing model that explains reality sufficiently well. But that put a huge challenge in front of me. As I can't just lean on an institution when it comes to how earth came to be, I have to build a model of my own. And in such a broad topic where all fields of science and humanities are involved, you can't just read 10 books on the same topic and be happy. That's why my focus is more on pursuing understanding and not on truly understanding a specific topic. But if you have an understanding in one field you can sometimes transfer that understanding to a field you are not as familiar with. This is one of the miracles of our universe. After all those similarities and the understandability of the univers is not a logical necessity. This is a very interesting challenge for an intelectually minded person like me. But it also comes with a few conflicts. - What do you do if one field of science clearly points to an old earth while another clearly points to a young earth? Especially if they are interwoven in a way that not both can be true at the same time. - How do you interact with people who think science is settled and you are here and you seriously consider everything before the ancient Egyptians may be completely and fundamentally different. And it's not completely incosequential. Things like climate change, genetic decay or miracles are still appliceable questions in current times. - How should I read the Bible? Are the creation chapters of the Bible purely symbolical or are they symbolical and historical? What about Adam or death before the original sin and if they are not historical, what about Exodus, Daniel or Jesus himself? Those have theological consequences and they shape my understanding of God and how I live my life. - The Bible says that you shoud go out and evangelize. But to me the rational aspect of Christianity, although true and superior, takes a long time to unpack. Also there are some viable alternatives. I can't just go to a person and give him svereal books worth of information in one go. But if I tell them the simplified version in a convincing manner, then I feel like I gave a dishonest proposal.
@@The_Cause lol, i just noticed you probably missed the comment and gave the heart to your comment instead of mine. But then again, your response was truely love-worthy so it definitely deserves that heart. Also I apprechiate you responing very much so having a heart is not necessary for me.
It looks like your name may be Ben and I will just say this. If you are ever down in my neck of the woods we need to sit down and have a beer or some coffee together. You bring up points I would love to ponder over and discuss. And I worded the "agreement" comment wrong. I didn't feel you were disagreeing but more explaining how you were wired. I am wired similar in many aspects. Comments like this one help me grown and think. Love it!
@@The_Cause My name is not actually Ben. It's an internet name I figured out years before I ever made my first comment on the internet. Ben = Son in Hebrew Rex = King in Latin 777= This stands for Jesus in the White Metal scene. So my name stands for Son of King Jesus. I know, not technically correct as I'm part of the bride of Jesus while I'm a child of the father, but they are one God anyways so it doesn't really matter. I am from Switzerland and I don't intend to visit America anytime soon. But if I ever go I now know three people I have to visit. One is an anarchist friend I met on some right wing forum and the other one is a Canadian guy who makes game development videos. Out of the blue I found out that the game developer loves church history and other stuff like this, even though he is (middleschool?) teacher and makes a 90's looking pixelart games. If you want to I could invite you to a stream where we can talk about various topics. It would be on my second channel called _Benrex777 Soapbox_ which I once intended to put my ideas on. I have the third _Benrex777 productions_ channel where I put my artistic stuff. Ever since I started my masters I have been quite inactive on my TH-cam video production side, but I'm always up for a conversation. Especially with interesting people like you are. Alternatively I also have discord which I use to talk to the other two.
That is a great set. Probably the best compilation of books that has ever been created. Adler truly believed in the expansion of knowledge and that set is the foundation to knowledge. Do you plan to read through the set?
I used to make notes in my books but stopped. I found that when I re-read those books my notes were immature. Also, that book is useless to give away. Nowadays I keep a side notebook. If I like a passage, I copy it. Or I can write out my own observations without being limited to the margins. And the book remains clean.
:o gonna need a reading list on all the topics you just mentioned regarding the civil war 📚👀 PS i’ve been reading Adler’s book this past week and it’s blowing my mind in a way that feels very pivotal! so excited to apply what i’m learning to further my learning!
I eventually would like to focus on a topic like the Civil War for a couple months. I think to understand the Civil War origins you have to realize that it was unfinished business of the American Revolution and a good knowledge of Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams, and Calhoun are essential before getting to the Civil War years. Adler’s book changed the way I thought about reading as well. It really validated and helped correct some of the ways I was approaching reading. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed my friend!
Great video, he was a smart man. Would recommend his book “The Great Ideas, a lexicon of western thought”. This book is the greatest investment for you and your children because it plants a seed of those deep questions, foundational classical terms, and a easy to understand overview of western thought on each topic of about 102 Great Ideas found in the Great books. Such as soul, wisdom, truth, liberty, beauty, eternity, love, family, duty, etc. perfect for someone who never received a classical education yet has an interest in the Great Books. Would also recommend a book if anyone hasn’t read it, called Pensèes by Blaise pascal. Great wisdom from a brilliant mind.
Great recommendations. I have been looking for something like the Lexicon you mentioned. I am going to try and get a copy of it. Definitely will check out the other one as well. Really appreciate you taking the time to share. Thanks for watching and stay blessed my friend!
Thanks so much for sharing. It’s is short. I will knock it out this week. I know Pascal is in the Harvard Classics but I don’t know if this one is included. Thanks for watching my friend and stay blessed!
I just stumbled upon you and I'm glad. Not sure what I was expecting, my mind is thinking Duck Dynasty + Cool Professor! Nevertheless I'm a new sub. 👍🏾
Well I’m glad you stumbled on by and I appreciate you watching my video. My wife will get a kick out of the Duck Dynasty professor. Lol Thanks so much for subscribing. I hope you have a blessed day and take care!
Started Edmund Burkes A Vindication of Natural Society. Finding this one tough. Seems like a 90 page stream of consciousness that no one seems to know if it's satire or not. I welcome any clues. 😂
Haha I listened to a biography on Edmund Burke but I have not read anything from him yet. I know he is in the Harvard Classics so I will eventually get to some of his works. From my understanding he was extremely intelligent. I find those books harder to read as well. So I will leave you with... good luck. lol Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
Luckily for us, the book is easy to open. It is indeed, like scissors, a great tool. The worst thing we can do is leave the scissors in the sealed package and never figure out how to open them. That's a great analogy, and thanks for watching. Stay blessed, my friend.
I’m looking for ways to comprehend and retain as quickly as possible. The sobering truth is that our educational system bottom-to-top has been on an exponential failure curve when teaching children the basics for 50+ years. Likely on purpos. At 51 I knew more about English and language basics in 7th grade than I do now. Let me put it this way: Your video assumes we are all General Contractors who have the functional knowledge of the house in which we live and just need to be shown the mindset to ask the right questions to actively appreciate living in it. NO. You assume way too much. The average person either needs to be taught form and function, or worse, they need the delusion broken that just because you live in a house and use it, doesn’t mean you have the skills of a GC. It’s sobering how real and honest I’m having to be with myself when it comes to what you need to be a true “reader” of great works.
This is a great comment because it is what the Harvard Classics series was created for. We have this idea that we have to be taught when in actuality what we need to focus on is continuous “self” education. Eliot chose Franklin as the first book to include in his 50 volume series because no one was willing to pay for Ben to go to school and learn. He had to come to the realization early on that if he wanted to learn to read well and write well that he was going to have to teach himself to be self sufficient and build his own mind. Coming from a public school system it did not click for me until later in life. Our job is to become the general contractor of our mind and build ourselves. Watch my first video if you have not already as I think I explain it pretty well in it. I have learned a good bit since then so maybe I can make an updated one soon. I truly wish you the best. Hit me up if I can help in any way. Stay blessed!
I will most definitely check it out. I have quite the backlog I want to get done so I don’t know if it would be anytime soon. I truly appreciate you sharing the book and thanks so much for watching. Stay blessed my friend!
@The_Cause You might want to do this one first. It is about reading efficiency. Howard Berg holds the 1991 world record for speed reading. It is interesting and while I'm not a speed reader it did help me read better.
Get the original 1930's edition if you can find it. Very good. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf does a 2 part lecture on this book which is around 3 hours long. Good if you have time
If you are already a great reader and have read a good many works then I agree this is probably too basic of a book. But for anyone in high school or college just starting out it is pretty helpful. Thanks for watching my friend!
They are in the process of getting it. As a new school with not much history it takes a bit to get through the process. Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
Your presentation here seemed like a non-stop barrage. Because of that, it felt not easily ingested. It was too quick of a relentless monologuing. The video shows many edits too for probably different purposes. In reviewing what you you had recorded, you might have asked yourself about all that you said, the tempo, and the fact that there are no contemplative pauses or time offered for hypothetical discussion with the listener/audience. Frustrating listening experience here: quantity, not quality.
My style of creating videos is pretty fast paced. I cut much of the fluff out and try to keep the material that is most meaningful. My aim is to not waste anyone’s time. My style, I agree is not for everyone and I have found that creating content that pleases everyone is almost impossible. I truly wish you the best and hope you find the experience you are looking for. Stay blessed my friend!
Got ya. Ya both are later in the volumes I am covering the Harvard classics. I am interested to read them both and compare and discuss the differences. Of all the books in the world that has impacted history the most in terms of events and civilizations. The New Testament and the Quran stand unmatched. That should be a good educational process when I get there. Thanks for watching my friend and I truly hope you stay blessed!
Before you start with the Quran, Consider this: An unaltered book with zero contradictions, All revealed to a man over 1400 years ago. Containing scientific facts unknown to its time, All ranging from the universe's expansion to the detailed description of the human embryo. I used to ask : Just how could all this be known way back in the 7th century? It is said to contain Guidance for the pious, and is a warning for all mankind.
You can also just simply read for enjoyment. Reading intensely at all times can get demanding for most of us. For an even more demanding level of reading... you can check out Ralston College below and learn to read in Greek. Now that sounds intense. Check it out below.
Ralston College: www.ralston.ac/humanities-ma?
I didn’t see any coffee there at Ralston but I may have over looked it. If I am perusing a path of learning Greek, we need copious amount of coffee on hand to accomplish that task. Brings an entire new meaning to a Greek tragedy!
My father has an immense library. A treasure trove of classic volumes. He has heavily marked in them, drawn in them, written the personal reflections of his mind and heart. Many of these books have already been passed on to me. I have so enjoyed reading his notes and seeing his markings on the pages. It’s like having him reading along with me. I have also added my own thoughts and notes. Now my children pick up those same volumes and laugh or wonder at the things we’ve written in them. When my library passes on to them someday, they will have a priceless treasure. A family heirloom. They will always be able to find their grandfather and their mother within the pages as they travel along the same literary paths that so delighted us.
I always enjoy your videos! Keep it up!
I love this comment. As I write in mine sometimes I often think will my grandkids or beyond appreciate the notes and ideas. I sometimes even leave notes randomly to people in the future and add current events that relate to the book. This comment brought me such joy. I truly hope they appreciate them as you said you do. I write the definitions I don’t know at the top of every page as well so maybe they will at least appreciate not having to look them up. Haha thank you so much for watching and stay blessed!
That awesome what you’re dad and what you have added. Priceless
@bonnieborwn1566 Thank you for sharing that your dad annotated in his books and you have been blessed with his treasure. A booktuber has said people who annotate in their books are monsters. Hello, I am a monster. LOL Your family heirloom sounds delightful. 🤗
You make me want to write into books too. II never did anything like that. Even highlighting I only used when the teacher demanded it from me.
But first I need to find a wife to be able to find children. If I can't inherent the books then that seems pointless.
That library is worth more than its weight in gold to you I’m sure. You are lucky indeed!
Absolutely a foundational book. It made my reading much more productive and easier to evaluate what I'm reading.
Yes indeed. It is so practical and easy to put in use. I am going to use some of the methods in the way I read through the rest of the Harvard Classic series. Some of the advice was so simple that I am kind of embarrassed I never thought of it before. Lol
Easy to like content that confirms my new methods of scholarship. The idea of starting with questions, making a list, then deciding on the order? Thats part of what revolutionized my reading habits 4 years ago.
Keep up the good work. Can't wait for some more Milton!
Exactly. I am going to implement a lot of this material into my series on the Harvard Classics. That is a big reason I wanted to squeeze this book in before continuing with Milton. Truly appreciate you watching my friend!
I do syntopic reading for work: Engineering, Physics & Math. The opportunity to do so was rare when I was a young, sexy Physics Major in the 80's: getting problem sets and lab reports completed on time were sufficient challenges!
Two books at the same level may cover "the same stuff" but have very different approaches to the subject. Working through derivations, examples and problems are *still* invaluable when "dusting-off" previous material, and learning new stuff.
This person is well articulate. He sounds like reciting a poem, I don't know why but the way he talks, you can say he communicates effectively.
Me!? Well I do appreciate the compliment my friend. That really means a lot. I have never considered myself that good but with the help of this channel it is something that I have been working on. Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
Glad I found your channel, it gives me hope that reading these books will be trendy and thy can start influencing society again. I try to promote the classics in my barber shop.
I hope so. A trend in that direction would be amazing. Lots of life advice you can get a barber shop. Keep spreading the message my friend and thanks for watching.
Mom, sister, and maybe older brother. Helped us( I’m a twin. Identical) start reading before, starting before we started to school. In the years. Have read across a lot of different styles. Fiction, non-fiction, horror, lots of history on WW2. Biographies , also. An the Bible. Some books I have devoured. Also Science Fiction. Some great books. Love this channel. Cause it’s gotten me to get some classic books to read.
I am glad to hear its motivated you to dive into the classics. Sadly I was about the only reader in my family. Hoping to change that with my kids. I bet reading that early really helped set you ahead going forward. Thanks so much for watching buddy!
That’s very true. Churchill did say that!! So it’s interesting to read different authors on the same subject. Giving different perspectives
It is. I started doing that with the American Revolution and I am getting to a point now where I have personalities for most of the characters so when and author introduces something that is not true I can pick it out pretty quickly. I love Churchill as well. He was like Englands Benjamin Franklin. haha
Grenville Kleiser wrote a fantastic tome titled "How to Build Mental Power" which takes the reader through an early 1900's self-development curriculum. I highly recommend it.
Oh wow that sounds awesome. I will most definitely check it out. Thanks so much for sharing and watching. Stay blessed my friend!
I read this book in the university liabray by accident in the 90s. This book really opened my mind and improved my grades dramatically.
Nice! It is a good book indeed. I wish I would have found it much sooner. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed!
Hey, very cool to see Ralston College as a sponsor. I'm 40. If I were 18 again, I'd certainly apply!
You and I both. I told my kids if they go to a college like that I may pack up and go with them. haha Honestly colleges like Ralston are about the only ones I would support my kids going to now. Things have changed so fast over just the time since I went. I can only imagine what it will be like when they get that age. Thanks for watching my friend and stay blessed!
Thank you for the thoughtful video. This is my first time visiting your channel. When speaking with a a friend he commented to me that I was not listening but preparing my response well before he had finished his idea. The first thing I thought of was to say, "I was on the Speech and Debate Team in High School, not the Speech and Listen Team!" How true! Waiting for another to finish a thought or read a book completely before forming an opinion is something I know that I can improve on and that I have not always been the best at. Pride and ego get in the way of speaking, writing, and reading in ways that I am not always aware but sometimes can catch myself indulging. Your talk is a helpful reminder to read fully and listen well. Thanks!
One thing you and Adler both missed is the concept of coffee. Never underestimate the effects of a good cup of Joe on your reading. Other than that, good video Rob.
Adler looks like he was a coffee drinker.. I am sure coffee was present in the formation of this book.
Only if you like coffee! I’d say hot cocoa!
Hot cocoa is acceptable in my book!
Why does this comment only have 18 likes? A fundamental cornerstone if there ever was one
I concur. I will correct this in the future!
This is really a thoughtful video. Love it.
Truly appreciate the feedback my friend. I learned a lot making it and reading it. Stay blessed brother!
Thanks, this presentation brought some long-forgotten aspects to my development as a writer and teacher. Your delivery was excellent, and you broke down the Adler’s work clearly. You avoided the common TH-cam problems, giving us the critical elements in a focused yet relaxed manner. I loved the fact that you spoke while holding your coffee cup, an unconscious manner I have had over the course of my 25 years as a college instructor. A student told me years ago that the simple, unconscious addition made our online course chat feel more like discussion in a hip coffee shop. I look forward to library and watching your future efforts.
Thank you so much for the kind words and the generosity! That truly means a lot. I never thought of the coffee mug making the conversation feel more inviting but I can definitely see that now. Depending on the length of the video if I am not drinking all the way through it my voice starts to give out. Makes me respect the professors and teachers that lecture all day. I guess you get use to it though. I truly appreciate you watching my friend and hope you stay blessed!
I travel through the shelves of the library, learning at least one key thing from each book. I'm anazed at the things I never knew. Every week learning something new.
haha I like that! A good library can give you a feeling you can not find anywhere else. Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
Rob, I’m also reminded of Louise Rosenblatt’s 1938 Literature as Exploration. She described reading as a transaction between the reader and the text. Meaning, she argued, is not the printed text or in the reader’s mind, but rather the interaction between the two. I’d also add, reading contexts also shapes the transactions. Rosenblatt noted there are “text specific” passages that are explicitly stated, but often the bigger picture meaning are transactional subject to context.
She gave the example of text specific with in Hamlet Act I, scene V the ghost claims to be the spirit of Hamlet’s dead Dad (the senior Hamlet). It’s explicit-not open to interpretation. However, the broader interpretation of the play can vary with different readers, or re-reading where contexts change. For me a good example is my understanding of the Bible upon my first reading in contrast to now, some 50 years later.
I’d also recommend Alberto Manguel’s A History of Reading. It’s an amazing read. God’s peace my friend! Mike
Thanks for sharing! I will most definitely check these books out. Never heard of Louise Rosenblatt. I like the concept of the interaction between the two. The meaning of a text can be completely different depending on what you have read in the past and your personal experience. I think in that way, books communicate with everyone in a slightly different way. Very good point. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed!
I'm rereading this right now. It was required for my seminary hermeneutics course. My mind was blown then, and now as I've begun with the Greeks, and plan to follow with as many of the great classics as I can in time, it's a good time to get grounded again.
Rob, you did a great job presenting this material. It was nice how you presented the information the author wanted us to know and then " got out of the way.” So often, people try too hard to further explain the material as if they wrote it or themselves have mastery over it. Keep up the good work!
There is a shorter essay by the same name in the first edition set of The Great Books of the Western World, and I quite enjoyed it.
Growing up, all my books were borrowed from the library, so I never marked in them, and still have a slight aversion to the idea. But Adlers arguments did sway me pretty well to adjust my thinking. However, I also find I never have nearly enough room to write my thoughts in the margin. So I keep a nice journal and write down my thoughts about what I read there. Sometimes this is simply a synopsis of the story, sometimes its a rambling brain dump of thoughts that occurred to me as I read.
The extra benefit of this method is that, a year or twn later, I can flip through and follow my own reading progress, look up particular books, etc. all in one place. If I tried to remember what I wrote in the margin of a book ten years ago I would never find it again!
Moreover, I can keep notes on books that are borrowed or ebooks, as well.
Those are all really good points! I think the notes in the books work great on a series like the Harvard Classics because the set usually stays together and it is easy to grab and flip through. I like the idea of keeping longer written ideas in a journal. Sometimes the margin just does not have enough margin! haha Thanks for your time and stay blessed!
Great to know, thanks for sharing- I got 2 copies of this book bought at different times from different second hand bookshops!
Now i think I'm gonna finally read this book!
I would highly suggest it. It is a great book which explains the different levels of reading. Good luck and thanks for watching. Stay blessed my friend!
My man Rob, you never cease to impress me with the breadth of interests and pursuits that you've been sharing over the years! I'm definitely going to pick up this book and check it out. My own journey in reading began very early (also participated in RIF as a child), having finished Charlotte's Web by age 6 and moved on to classics like Last of the Mohicans, Moby Dick, etc. by age 10. Although I don't read nearly as much as I would like (or should) any longer, the foundation that it provided me early in life has been an immeasurable asset in everything I've done, both professionally and personally. I've had The Great Books collection from Britannica for 30 years and read various ones, but thinking I may go back and start at the beginning and read through them all in sequence. Thanks for the inspiration!
Thanks for the kind words my friend. I hope to have my kids reading as you described soon. I would love to see them reading Moby Dick by that age. Venturing down the Great Books is a goal of mine as well. Since I started in the Harvard Classics I will complete this journey first. I think it will be a good preliminary before I venture down the entire Great Books set. Truly appreciate you watching my friend and as always stay blessed!
Oh, a bit of a change of pace! Cool.
Yes indeed. It was nice getting away from the old texts for a bit. Break is over though. Back Milton this weekend! Haha
Fantastic content , much grateful. Extremely articulate and clear which made it easy to understand .
Glad you enjoyed it and thanks so much for watching! Stay blessed my friend!
Your the man Rob. Love your videos because i always learn so much
Glad to hear! I truly appreciate you watching them. Really enjoyed creating this as I learned a lot as well. Stay blessed my friend!
Idk about the reading aid one. I agree with pretty much everything except for that.
There are passages in certain textbooks I have greatly struggled with, until I heard them read back to me in text to speech.
I also get a ton of anxiety while reading and can't control myself from skipping forward. The free natural voice TTS allow me to focus on the material without feeling distracted by that second nature.
I think at also helps significantly because it really locks me in. I get two forms of sensory input (reading/visual and auditory). It probably doubles my comprehension (I'm not exagerating), as I understand almost everything as if the teacher is there with me.
The only struggle after the comprehension is retention of terminology.
It is a tool, and I would encourage those who struggle concentrating to use it as an aid.
Really great points and I am glad you shared that. I actually just used something similar on Paradise Lost. I read it physically but then also listened to it to hear the flow and pronunciation from an expert. I agree it helped me retain and understand it so much better. Truly appreciate you watching and stay blessed my friend!
Best revelation of book reading I’ve seen. Thanks. Will test these principles.
Thanks so much! This is a good book indeed! I truly appreciate you watching and stay blessed!
"The skill and power of reading well can save your soul, change your life and bring you joy."
What a truth bomb that is. And special cheers for having mentioned salvation first. Jesus is King.
Yes indeed! I try to keep it to a minimum on the channel but I feel I drop just enough crumbs that if a soul is looking for help he knows were he can find it. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed my friend.
Just found your channel last night and I’m so glad I did. I began learning American history by reading at least one biography of each president. I’m on Thomas Jefferson(Dumas
Malone’s 6 volume set) and have added other books about subjects I read about in these that I find myself lacking a basic knowledge on. You’re so right when you said you have to a well rounded knowledge and not just one side. I’m going to get a copy of this book because it sounds really interesting. When I first glanced at the authors names I thought, “Not Charles Van Doren?”. Very interesting guy. His uncle, Carl Van Doren, wrote history and biography. Charles was the “Quiz Show” guy.
I’m glad you did as well! That’s kind of how I started too. I read John Adams my David McCullough and then the dominoes started to fall after that. Hamilton by Chernow and then Washington by Chernow. It’s a rabbit hole for sure. I don’t think you will be disappointed with Adler’s book. It’s a good one. Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
Always great content. Thank you.
Thanks so much! Glad to hear you enjoy it and thanks so much for watching! Stay blessed my friend!
Great topic and presentation. Thank you will be back to enjoy and learn.
Glad to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for stopping by and stay blessed my friend!
I didn't know you, and at 1:37, I subscribed to your channel. It might be the first time I have done that, and that's a huge compliment from me.
I was curious about this book; how you articulate your thoughts is top-notch.
Good job, Brother!
Well welcome aboard my friend and thanks so much for watching! I am glad to hear you enjoyed it. Stay blessed!
I’m glad to find your channel - just found it today, August 19, 2024. My little book club is planning to read War and Peace starting in September and finishing in December, so I don’t suppose I’ll have time to read Paradise Lost.
I’ve seen the brick of a book know as War and Peace but I have yet to tackle it. I imagine that will take most of the Fall to get through! Haha Paradise Lost will be waiting on you when you finish. Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
Thanks for this review! I ordered the book.
Glad it was helpful and thank so much for watching. I hope you enjoy the book. Stay blessed my friend!
I recently figured that Watching videos passively takes a toll on us humans compared to those who actively watch or learn the videos they are intaking. Actively reciting for example.
Very good point. I just had this conversation with my wife last night. I have been so focused on the quantity of information that I never listen to anything more than once. The past couple months I have just been listening through the lectures of Michael Sugrue and I am picking up so much the second and third time listening. It is just deeper for sure. Thanks for sharing and very great point. Stay blessed!
I’ve had the Adler book for years, and have never finished it- because it’s a spectacularly boring read. Edit: Where are my manners? Thank you for posting this digest. You are doing great work, sir.
Often value is not found in pleasure. It may be boring but it is impactful. Thanks so much for watching my friend and stay blessed!
@@The_Cause Sir, please see my amended comment.
Thanks my friend. I do agree with ya.. lol many of these works can be a bore to read through. Thanks brother!
I enjoy your videos. Thank you! One thing that makes me jump, is when you are including the text of a quote, and have a spelling error in it. I don't understand that. I am looking forward to learning more from you, and from the books you are working through.
I will double check them better. Sometimes I miss them but I try and catch as many as possible. Thanks for the feedback as I want to make the videos as good as possible. Thanks for watching my friend and stay blessed!
Vert well done. I really enjoyed and appreciate all the insights. Thank you for your honest and fruitful efforts.
No problem at all my friend. I truly appreciate you checking it out and stay blessed!
Excellent breakdown. Good speed and straight to the point
Very good editing btw
Thanks you so much for the kind words! That means a lot to hear. I truly appreciate you watching and stay blessed my friend!
Ralston College is a perfect sponsor for your Harvard Classics (and other classic books) channel. Great Adler quote: “playing with words… not thoughts and knowledge”
They are! I was very surprised when they reached out to me. Very nice and easy to deal with too. Adler has some great lines in the book that I was not expecting from a book like that. I know he has some other books out so I might try and pick a couple more up. Really enjoyed his style. Thanks for watching brother!
Last month I read Caesar by Adrian Goldsworthy and I was impressed at how direct his facts were and how less bias it was. I read a lot of history and I don't like the bias and what I call propaganda. Then I end up hate reading; hacking my way through the weeds, so to speak. Reading nonfiction is definitely not the same as reading a fictional book. I have that book and recently chatted with my son in law and he said, "If only there was a book about 'how to read.'" and I said, "oh but there is!" LOL And I happen to have an extra copy. This month the family will be visiting and I will give him his own copy. 👍📚 Ah! yes, when I participate in middle grade march, I feel I am not learning and I need to read nonfiction immediately. Great review. Now I need to mow the farm, because it's spring time. LOL
Have a blessed weekend brother.
I just finished mowing the grass as well! Haha with the rain and heat it’s been growing crazy down here. I read Caesar by Goldworthy years ago and I had Augustus in my queue but haven’t started it yet. Good author. Ron Chernow is probably one of my favorite when it comes to biographies and he paints the picture so well. I agree with the need for fiction. I think I get too focused on reading to learn instead of reading to enjoy sometimes. I truly appreciate you watching and hope your reading is going well. Stay blessed!
You should make an episode on annotation and tips and tricks on it
That is a great idea. I will have to add it to my video list. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed!
As a teenager in the 90s Iwould go to bookstores and read a chapter or two every time i walked by (either to or from work) until the whole book was finished. I took great care to not mark the book in any way so it was still new and perfect condition. This is how i read many books! 😅😊
So you shoplifted knowledge from the poor little bookstore! Haha Just kidding. I use to sip in Barnes and Noble and read a good bit back in the day. Great atmosphere for reading. Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
The survival of Western Civilization is threatened without its foundational texts and the knowledge of history. Thank you for continuing to honor and study these books.
I completely agree. Trying to my small part to keep it alive and hopefully this little channel inspires others to pick up the torch and continue pressing on. Truly appreciate you watching my friend!
According to my own experience of reading books since almost two decades is just keep reading and you will come to ends that discovering your own world which you never knew it's existed.
Happy Reading
Yes indeed. Every book I read helps fill in the painting in my mind of what is. The more I read the more clear the picture becomes. Humbly I admit, it is no where near complete! haha Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed!
I just got the book yesterday from Amazon!!
Awesome! Hope you enjoy it. It is a good one indeed. Stay blessed my friend!
@@The_Cause Thank You!!!! You too!!
“The more you read the hungrier you get.” 💯💯💯 Fact!!
Yes indeed! Well maybe the more curious.. haha thanks for watching and stay blessed my friend!
10:07 reminds me of a quote from retrieving realism, by Hubert Dreyfus and Charles Taylor: "no understanding the other without a change to understanding a self" - which I take to be a cut deeper in this relational domain of communication
This is one my favorite and most impactful books of all time! You definitely did it justice in this review Rob! Just wanted to say again that I’m so glad to have stumbled across your work, I’m loving catching up on all your content.
Also, the Harvard Classics and the Great Books are two collections I’ve been dreaming of adding to my library for years now… as someone who owns them both, if you could only choose ONE, which one would you go with? 😁
oh man... that is a tough question! As in all great answers it depends... haha The Harvard classics are bigger print and the set I have is nice to read through because the page quality and font size. The HC do not cover near what the great books cover and is a smaller set. If I had to guess about 1/2 the material of the Great Books. The Great Books covers the topics in chronological order. So you start with Homer and the Greeks in volume one and by volume 60 you are at Hemingway, Nietzsche., and Orwell. The Harvard Classics were created in 1909 so it will not have hardly any modern writers. I would choose the Harvard Classics if I wanted to enjoy some old literature and read through and actually hope to finish. I would choose the Great Books of the Western World if I wanted to deep dive into western civilization and have a complete chronological idea of history. Lastly the great books are organized in my opinion a little better. Time is needed for both. I figure if I was just reading and not making videos I could get through the Harvard classics in about 3-4 years, I think the Great Books would be closer to 7-8. Sorry to ramble and hope this helps!
@@The_Cause bro, never apologize for the ramble, i love it! :D really appreciate the nuance thought about it and actually taking to answer well. I know eventually i'll have both, but i think my heart is set on the Great Books first.. the way my brain works, i love getting the whole big picture and then breaking it down to its requisite part, so being able to follow the train of thought and discourse from the beginning just sounds amazing to me!
wonderful review, really enjoyed hearing your perspective of the book and nice to see you finally getting sponsors)
how long does it take you to finish that book? whats your reading schedule like?
May recommend Alan Jacobs' "How to Think" ...
A friend gave this book to me. I have yet to read it. I may have to look through it tonight when I get home. Guess this is a good of sign as any to actually read it. Thanks so much for watching my friend.
When a man in flannel, camo and a big beard tells me how to read a book I listen.
Haha that is hilarious. Mr. Adler would be proud that his work has reached the flannel/camo wearing populace! Thanks for watching and stay blessed my friend!
Gratitude 4 substance U have provided .
No problem at all. I enjoy making these video and I am happy to hear you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
#10:55 for me that's one of the most powerful line in that book, reading is like fighting so to get the full grasp of the subject, you'll have to train and put the work in. i.e thinking and read for oneself.
the reading aids helps but should be used afterwards
You are a great philosopher as well as a good reader.
I still have a long way to go but I appreciate the kind words. Thanks for watching my friend!
Rob,
This week I launched a series on my channel called "Books You Should Read." The inaugural book? Adler and Van Doren's How to Read. Beyond that coincidence, we both took time in our video treatment of this great book to extol the virtues of the Western canon.
For anyone reading this comment, please do yourself a favor and study How to Read a Book. It may very well be the most important book you'll ever read because it unlocks the ability to read with understanding and that is necessary if you want to truly read the books of the Great Conversation here with Rob.
Brian (ELA+)
Hey Brian! I am going to have to go check it out. Thanks for letting me know. It was a very good book indeed. It is crazy how much you can learn from such a simple and practical book as this one. Stay blessed my friend and I hope you are enjoying your TH-cam journey.
@@The_Cause Thanks Rob. The You Tube journey is going well. Having started in January, I set myself the goal of getting to 100 subscribers by June. It looks like I'll get there.
I'd like to see a new American Republic of Letters. Doing my small, amateurish part to contribute. My project with the channel is to build a You Tube video lesson library of English studies from the ABCs and phonics, to grammar, to reader's guides to the classics and reading suggestions. That'll take time. I hope I have the patience and perseverance for it.
A very informative video ❤
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
Thanks!
Thanks so much Steven for the support! Truly means a lot my friend and stay blessed!
I need to reread this
It is a good one to review again for sure. Thanks for watching and stay blessed my friend!
New subscriber here, I'm eyeing on this book.
It is a good book indeed and I would highly suggest it. Thanks so much for subscribing and stay blessed my friend!
I found that sometimes we think that we understand, but don't actually. I found that sometimes we don't understand, because the book is too concise for us to understand.
In those cases critiquing something you haven't understood is a good thing if you do it in a place where you can get pushback. Only if you have to state your claim and you have to make an argument for your position can you truely find out if your reasoning is solid. Sometimes you find the flaws before anybody gives a reply. That is just as much true for the author as it is for the one critiquing the author.
This is one of the reasons why I write TH-cam comments. On this platform I have a lot of time to formulate my thoughts. I shout it into the world and sometimes the world talkes back. Through people who push back I have learned things they didn't even intend to teach me. Some have called me ignorant as I voiced opinions which they found absurd. Sometimes that has definitely been justified, and sometimes they thought I'm ignorant because I had a different worldview.
As always with TH-cam comments, we do not know the person on the other end. All we have is that one comment and usually we just skimread it. So dealing with missunderstandings on both ends is an even bigger topic than usual. This forces me to write in a more clear manner to have at least done my part as a person communicating.
I admire people who can read something and then ponder on it for half an hour. But maybe my brain is also admireable. I have a quick and slow mind. I can read something and immediately connect things together. But if I can't do it, then thinking about it for half an hour doesn't change anything. For one I already made all the connections I can make at the moment and also my thoughts wander off very easily.
The reason why I said I have a slow mind is because I often hear something and then I just throw it into my subconciousness. It doesn't matter if I fully understood it yet. The next time I come across a similar topic I can connect what I've learend previously and what I newly learned. Because of that I don't worry if I didn't understand something. After all in a few months or years I may hear something new and then I will be able to understand it more fully.
I agree that if you want to understand a topic more fully, you need to view it from multiple perspecitves. My method is a bit of a different one. I am a broadly interested person. To get an insight into many different fields, I like to read a book of an expert within each field I'm currently curious about. That will give me a completely biased view on that topic. Especially since I usually pick books that at least partially agree with my biases. But at the same time, experts usually respond to other experts. And thanks to that, I'm at least aware of opposing positions.
If my goal is to reduce my bias then my method is pretty bad. After all the only bias I reduce is the bias that I have as a layperson, not the bias which stems from my worldview. But having a decent insight into various fileds can also help broaden the mind. I don't mind if my bias is reduced over time. But I don't like the feeling of changing my views too fast. So I'd rather do it in a slow way that fits my taste.
Very good points. I would consider your time spent learning slowly as more pursuing understanding then feeling like you truly understand in the moment. Which I think we are in agreement there. Adler mentioned the experience aspect of what you are referring and after decades of storing up all this info and being able to recall things that you have learned and experienced you can understand more deeply then someone who is younger. I also agree that stating your opinion and then letting others pick it apart is a great way to better understand what you may have misunderstood. TH-cam comments have helped me on these videos. To actually include this one. Very good points and I truly loved reading this comment. Thanks so much for watching and I truly hope you stay blessed!
@@The_Cause
_"Which I think we are in agreement there."_
My point was not to disagree with you. I find everything you said great and I love all the quotes you selected. There were a lot of gems among them.
I just showed how I do it, which is an alternate route with a slightly different goal in mind. Also not every person is the same learning type. Some learn better through an excessive use of a highlight marker while others learn better through talking about it. And then there is me who just throws everything into the subconcious mind and let it work there.
_" I would consider your time spent learning slowly as more pursuing understanding [...]"_
There is a reason behind this. Probably more than one, but I'm aware of one. I grew up in a Christian household in Switzerland. Some of the books of my mom were of young earth creationism. That is basically the idea that we take Genesis 1 as it reads and then try to find out if that is compatible with science. As secular science on the popular level is soaked in interpretations based on certain assumptions you really need to dig deep if you want to seriously combine the scientific findings and the natural reading of the first few chapters of Genesis.
At school I learned the secular models while in my freetime I learned a possible alternative. Thanks to that I got a bit of an insight behind the scenes. My current conclusion is that neither side has a fully convincing model that explains reality sufficiently well. But that put a huge challenge in front of me. As I can't just lean on an institution when it comes to how earth came to be, I have to build a model of my own. And in such a broad topic where all fields of science and humanities are involved, you can't just read 10 books on the same topic and be happy. That's why my focus is more on pursuing understanding and not on truly understanding a specific topic. But if you have an understanding in one field you can sometimes transfer that understanding to a field you are not as familiar with. This is one of the miracles of our universe. After all those similarities and the understandability of the univers is not a logical necessity.
This is a very interesting challenge for an intelectually minded person like me. But it also comes with a few conflicts.
- What do you do if one field of science clearly points to an old earth while another clearly points to a young earth? Especially if they are interwoven in a way that not both can be true at the same time.
- How do you interact with people who think science is settled and you are here and you seriously consider everything before the ancient Egyptians may be completely and fundamentally different. And it's not completely incosequential. Things like climate change, genetic decay or miracles are still appliceable questions in current times.
- How should I read the Bible? Are the creation chapters of the Bible purely symbolical or are they symbolical and historical? What about Adam or death before the original sin and if they are not historical, what about Exodus, Daniel or Jesus himself? Those have theological consequences and they shape my understanding of God and how I live my life.
- The Bible says that you shoud go out and evangelize. But to me the rational aspect of Christianity, although true and superior, takes a long time to unpack. Also there are some viable alternatives. I can't just go to a person and give him svereal books worth of information in one go. But if I tell them the simplified version in a convincing manner, then I feel like I gave a dishonest proposal.
@@The_Cause lol, i just noticed you probably missed the comment and gave the heart to your comment instead of mine.
But then again, your response was truely love-worthy so it definitely deserves that heart. Also I apprechiate you responing very much so having a heart is not necessary for me.
It looks like your name may be Ben and I will just say this. If you are ever down in my neck of the woods we need to sit down and have a beer or some coffee together. You bring up points I would love to ponder over and discuss. And I worded the "agreement" comment wrong. I didn't feel you were disagreeing but more explaining how you were wired. I am wired similar in many aspects. Comments like this one help me grown and think. Love it!
@@The_Cause My name is not actually Ben. It's an internet name I figured out years before I ever made my first comment on the internet.
Ben = Son in Hebrew
Rex = King in Latin
777= This stands for Jesus in the White Metal scene.
So my name stands for Son of King Jesus. I know, not technically correct as I'm part of the bride of Jesus while I'm a child of the father, but they are one God anyways so it doesn't really matter.
I am from Switzerland and I don't intend to visit America anytime soon. But if I ever go I now know three people I have to visit. One is an anarchist friend I met on some right wing forum and the other one is a Canadian guy who makes game development videos. Out of the blue I found out that the game developer loves church history and other stuff like this, even though he is (middleschool?) teacher and makes a 90's looking pixelart games.
If you want to I could invite you to a stream where we can talk about various topics. It would be on my second channel called _Benrex777 Soapbox_ which I once intended to put my ideas on. I have the third _Benrex777 productions_ channel where I put my artistic stuff. Ever since I started my masters I have been quite inactive on my TH-cam video production side, but I'm always up for a conversation. Especially with interesting people like you are. Alternatively I also have discord which I use to talk to the other two.
I really cracked up when you captioned "not my mom". 😂
I have the Great Books Of The Western World series on my shelf that Mortimer J. Adler curated and put together.
That is a great set. Probably the best compilation of books that has ever been created. Adler truly believed in the expansion of knowledge and that set is the foundation to knowledge. Do you plan to read through the set?
I want to read through that after the harvard classics
I used to make notes in my books but stopped. I found that when I re-read those books my notes were immature. Also, that book is useless to give away. Nowadays I keep a side notebook. If I like a passage, I copy it. Or I can write out my own observations without being limited to the margins. And the book remains clean.
Thank you!
No problem! Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed!
:o gonna need a reading list on all the topics you just mentioned regarding the civil war 📚👀 PS i’ve been reading Adler’s book this past week and it’s blowing my mind in a way that feels very pivotal! so excited to apply what i’m learning to further my learning!
I eventually would like to focus on a topic like the Civil War for a couple months. I think to understand the Civil War origins you have to realize that it was unfinished business of the American Revolution and a good knowledge of Henry Clay, John Quincy Adams, and Calhoun are essential before getting to the Civil War years.
Adler’s book changed the way I thought about reading as well. It really validated and helped correct some of the ways I was approaching reading. Thanks so much for watching and stay blessed my friend!
Great video, he was a smart man. Would recommend his book “The Great Ideas, a lexicon of western thought”. This book is the greatest investment for you and your children because it plants a seed of those deep questions, foundational classical terms, and a easy to understand overview of western thought on each topic of about 102 Great Ideas found in the Great books. Such as soul, wisdom, truth, liberty, beauty, eternity, love, family, duty, etc. perfect for someone who never received a classical education yet has an interest in the Great Books. Would also recommend a book if anyone hasn’t read it, called Pensèes by Blaise pascal. Great wisdom from a brilliant mind.
Great recommendations. I have been looking for something like the Lexicon you mentioned. I am going to try and get a copy of it. Definitely will check out the other one as well. Really appreciate you taking the time to share. Thanks for watching and stay blessed my friend!
@@The_CauseAlso, Three Discourses on the Condition of the Great by Pascal, very short read. Free online
@@The_Cause www.marxists.org/reference/archive/pascal/1630/three-discourses.htm
Thanks so much for sharing. It’s is short. I will knock it out this week. I know Pascal is in the Harvard Classics but I don’t know if this one is included. Thanks for watching my friend and stay blessed!
I just stumbled upon you and I'm glad. Not sure what I was expecting, my mind is thinking Duck Dynasty + Cool Professor! Nevertheless I'm a new sub. 👍🏾
Well I’m glad you stumbled on by and I appreciate you watching my video. My wife will get a kick out of the Duck Dynasty professor. Lol Thanks so much for subscribing. I hope you have a blessed day and take care!
@@The_Cause be blessed brother
My biggest struggle with reading complicated books is my dyslexia. It makes reading harder when the writer uses lots of big uncommon words.
Is “Everywhere I go in my head I meet Plato coming back.” a quote from someone else, or shall I attribute it to you?
Haha no! It was in Adler’s book. I think he quoted someone. I will look tonight and see who it was. I am curious now. Thanks for watching!
Alreay feeling quite comfortable with healthcare in south easy asia
Nice! I hear that area is growing nicely!
He was born before planes and skyscrapers and died just as planes were flying into skyscrapers.
That’s another way to put it for sure. Can’t deny the truth behind it. Lol thanks for watching and stay blessed my friend!
💯Thank you for sharing. Hamza Yusuf also has an amazing discussion on this book that was posted some years ago on TH-cam. An absolute gem♥️💯
Thanks for sharing! I will have to check it out. Truly appreciate you watching and stay blessed!
Great book! How to read a book...
Started Edmund Burkes A Vindication of Natural Society. Finding this one tough. Seems like a 90 page stream of consciousness that no one seems to know if it's satire or not. I welcome any clues. 😂
Haha I listened to a biography on Edmund Burke but I have not read anything from him yet. I know he is in the Harvard Classics so I will eventually get to some of his works. From my understanding he was extremely intelligent. I find those books harder to read as well. So I will leave you with... good luck. lol Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
Buying this book is the equivalent of buying a pair of scissors that come inside a sealed package.
Luckily for us, the book is easy to open. It is indeed, like scissors, a great tool. The worst thing we can do is leave the scissors in the sealed package and never figure out how to open them. That's a great analogy, and thanks for watching. Stay blessed, my friend.
A book on how to read a book. The author assumes you know how to read his book so he can teach you how to read other books lol
It’s rocket science for sure! Lol Thanks for watching my friend. Stay blessed!
I’m looking for ways to comprehend and retain as quickly as possible.
The sobering truth is that our educational system bottom-to-top has been on an exponential failure curve when teaching children the basics for 50+ years. Likely on purpos.
At 51 I knew more about English and language basics in 7th grade than I do now.
Let me put it this way:
Your video assumes we are all General Contractors who have the functional knowledge of the house in which we live and just need to be shown the mindset to ask the right questions to actively appreciate living in it.
NO. You assume way too much.
The average person either needs to be taught form and function, or worse, they need the delusion broken that just because you live in a house and use it, doesn’t mean you have the skills of a GC.
It’s sobering how real and honest I’m having to be with myself when it comes to what you need to be a true “reader” of great works.
This is a great comment because it is what the Harvard Classics series was created for. We have this idea that we have to be taught when in actuality what we need to focus on is continuous “self” education. Eliot chose Franklin as the first book to include in his 50 volume series because no one was willing to pay for Ben to go to school and learn. He had to come to the realization early on that if he wanted to learn to read well and write well that he was going to have to teach himself to be self sufficient and build his own mind. Coming from a public school system it did not click for me until later in life. Our job is to become the general contractor of our mind and build ourselves. Watch my first video if you have not already as I think I explain it pretty well in it. I have learned a good bit since then so maybe I can make an updated one soon. I truly wish you the best. Hit me up if I can help in any way. Stay blessed!
Would you be interested or able to read a specific book? It is Super Reading Secrets by Howard Berg.
I will most definitely check it out. I have quite the backlog I want to get done so I don’t know if it would be anytime soon. I truly appreciate you sharing the book and thanks so much for watching. Stay blessed my friend!
@The_Cause You might want to do this one first. It is about reading efficiency. Howard Berg holds the 1991 world record for speed reading. It is interesting and while I'm not a speed reader it did help me read better.
I am indeed intrigued. I will order a copy and move it up the list to read! Thanks my friend.
@The_Cause Thank You for taking me seriously. I hope your read is more successful than mine.
@@showman139 We will see. I have never been the fastest reader so it may definitely help me improve.
Get the original 1930's edition if you can find it. Very good. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf does a 2 part lecture on this book which is around 3 hours long. Good if you have time
I will have to see if I can find the old version. Curious to see how it would differ. Thanks for the recommendation on Yusuf. I will check it out!
@The_Cause yeah make sure its 1930's not much older. It is a lot better personally
So does Library Lynne, a précis of each section of the book.
How to Speak, How to Listen
Wow that propaganda quote was really interesting
It was indeed. Sadly not much has changed since then. Truly appreciate you watching my friend and stay blessed!
Am I the only one who didn't like this book at all? It seemed pretentious and honestly didn't say much of anything.
If you are already a great reader and have read a good many works then I agree this is probably too basic of a book. But for anyone in high school or college just starting out it is pretty helpful. Thanks for watching my friend!
You should see how us with adult ADHD have to read🙄
I can only imagine the struggle. Thanks for watching my friend!
beautiful eyes
Well thank you my friend! I truly appreciate you watching and stay blessed!
That was a really boring review.
Sorry to hear that. I will try and do better next time. Thanks for watching and stay blessed my friend!
Too much editing , uninteresting when you see so little originality.
Sorry it was not up to your standards. I will continue to try and improve. Thanks for watching and stay blessed my friend!
@The_Cause be well and my bad for being so coarse in my criticism .
No worries. Feedback is good!
Ralston College is unaccredited yikes
They are in the process of getting it. As a new school with not much history it takes a bit to get through the process. Thanks for watching and stay blessed!
the hell kinda hat is that?
It is just a backwards cap. Normal hat. Does kind of look like a skull cap from the angle. Thanks for watching my friend. Stay blessed!
Your presentation here seemed like a non-stop barrage. Because of that, it felt not easily ingested. It was too quick of a relentless monologuing. The video shows many edits too for probably different purposes. In reviewing what you you had recorded, you might have asked yourself about all that you said, the tempo, and the fact that there are no contemplative pauses or time offered for hypothetical discussion with the listener/audience. Frustrating listening experience here: quantity, not quality.
My style of creating videos is pretty fast paced. I cut much of the fluff out and try to keep the material that is most meaningful. My aim is to not waste anyone’s time. My style, I agree is not for everyone and I have found that creating content that pleases everyone is almost impossible. I truly wish you the best and hope you find the experience you are looking for. Stay blessed my friend!
@@The_CauseI enjoyed it.
I think it was alright
Try reading the Quran.
It is on my list as it is part of the Harvard Classic series. So I definitely plan to dive into it. Have you had a chance to read the New Testament?
Yes,
Not cover to cover.
But
Just in bits and pieces
Got ya. Ya both are later in the volumes I am covering the Harvard classics. I am interested to read them both and compare and discuss the differences. Of all the books in the world that has impacted history the most in terms of events and civilizations. The New Testament and the Quran stand unmatched. That should be a good educational process when I get there. Thanks for watching my friend and I truly hope you stay blessed!
I've read the Quran cover to cover more than once.
Before you start with the Quran,
Consider this:
An unaltered book with zero contradictions,
All revealed to a man over 1400 years ago.
Containing scientific facts unknown to its time,
All ranging from the universe's expansion to the detailed description of the human embryo.
I used to ask :
Just how could all this be known way back in the
7th century?
It is said to contain Guidance for the pious,
and is a warning for all mankind.
Thanks!
Thank you so much for the support! I truly appreciate that. Thanks for watching and stay blessed my friend!