reading as research (ie reading that is 'syntopical')

It has been over a year since we have discussed syntopical reading here and I thought it might be a good idea to explore the five steps. The first step is to find the relevant passages. Remember that the books are not the priority, but it is your concerns that need to be addressed. One of the most difficult things for me to do with syntopical reading is to narrow my question in what I want to discover through syntopical reading. If I am too broad, then I must address more books than I possible have time for. So my first advice is to narrow your focus.

By inspectionally reading these books, you can uncover the relevant passages and as you read more books syntopically you will be able to further clarify the passages that you need to understand your subject more clearly.

Remember that your main purpose is to make a connection with the author in what he is attempting to get across to the reader and as Adler and Van Doren have previously stated: Come to terms with the author in a different way.

The Five Steps of Syntopical Reading

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oosted on October 25, 2012

I will be discussing the five steps of Syntopical Reading from How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren Let’s list the steps from the book:

(1) Finding the Relevant Passages.

(2) Bringing the Author to Terms.

(3) Getting the Questions Clear.

(4) Defining the Issues.

(5) Analyzing the Discussion

Notes from Step one: I wil be quite honest and say I have just recently begun learning about reading analytically.  From the book:

“Since we are assuming that you know how to read analytically, we are assuming that you could read each of the relevant books throughly if you wanted to. But that would be to place the individual books first in the order of your priorities, and your problem second. In fact, the order is reversed. In syntopical reading, it is you and your concerns that are primarily to be served, not the books that you read.”

I am just beginning to understand this principle as I work on becoming a better problem solver.  I must spend time on these subjects and focus my concerns sharply in order to pick the best books to study syntopically. Part II will be presented tomorrow.

http://consilientinterest.com/2014/03/03/some-thoughts-on-syntopical-reading/