how do I read difficult books?

[Viking]

I tried to read Heidegger's "being and time" and I was lost in the first paragraph. each sentence was so packed and there are so much sentences, there is too much "stuff" to remember and hold in mind in order to understand what's the point. Also say im starting the next chapter, I cant remember anything that i've read the previous one and cant see the connection of the present chapter to the previous one.

how am i supposed to go about this? spend hours on a paragraph to try to understand what's happening? in how much time then would I be able to finish the book?

[Rachityczny]

It`s just a loose idea, but how about reading a book about the same/similar topic which is written in easier manner?

Or reading a chapter and then journaling about it, maybe to create a summary of what you`ve read?

[Mezanti]

@Viking that probably means you're not a persistent reader, thus making it hard for you to get the jist of comprehension.

I say get the book in audiobook format, it could help. Also usually only the first few pages are tough, but as you read through the book it gets easier since you adapt to the writing style of the author.

 

[RichardY]

2 hours ago, Viking said:

I tried to read Heidegger's "being and time" and I was lost in the first paragraph. each sentence was so packed and there are so much sentences, there is too much "stuff" to remember and hold in mind in order to understand what's the point. Also say im starting the next chapter, I cant remember anything that i've read the previous one and cant see the connection of the present chapter to the previous one.

how am i supposed to go about this? spend hours on a paragraph to try to understand what's happening? in how much time then would I be able to finish the book?

 

Read through a chunk, copy and paste a section to the forum for commentary.

An audiobook would be ace, but haven't seen one for Being and Time. Maybe people have read it, but prefer other books, I remember @Joseph Maynor mentioning that he had read it.

[BjarkeT]

Focus with high intensity and with out distractions(for understanding it better). Recall the information without looking to remember it. Explain the concept to better understand it.

[DarkestLight]

One thing that may help is building up to it. If you're honest with yourself, and it's too hard for you at the moment, you can always build up to it. Say, you get a foundation in learning some of the history of Western philosophy, maybe watch some videos doing a general overview of the topics to build a context, maybe get into some literature or art that you can relate to as a starting point, maybe get into some eastern thought after that. You can also get meta by trying to find books or learn lessons on how to increase your focus/discipline (Exercise, meditation, healthy diet) You can also learn some stuff on educational psychology and read/watch some videos on improving your reading/learning skills. Also consider reading books that are relevant to what you want to learn in life that are more at your level of reading, then build up to it. I'm working up to Heidegger too, not quite there yet, though I'm working up to it. Phenomenology is fascinating. It helped me get out of the dogmatic scientific rationalist mindset

[lmfao]

@Viking is it possible you are struggling with vocabulary? I know that if I ever read a good book I'm often looking up definitions. I have mild dyslexia and one thing that happens to me when reading a sentence is that I'll read half of the sentence and be very confused, but then after finishing the sentence and paying attention to the position of commas the sentence will make sense. The pauses you take and the specific chunks of words you take in at a given moment in time when reading a sentence can distort meaning, and I've often found myself falling for this trap. It's impossible to avoid this trap completely as it is the case that sentences can have two very slightly different, yet equally valid, meanings depending on your interpretation. However, this difference should be small.

Another thing that bear in mind is that complicated words don't make the message of a sentence that much more complex than the type of sentence used in day to day life. I've been reading a maths book "set theory and logic" recently (it has lots of verbal commentary) and I've found that sentences which have a simple meaning can be worded in unfamiliar ways such that they feel alien and unnatural to read at times. All this type of stuff gets better with practice. If dyslexics can find a way to read so can you. 

Edited September 18, 2018 by lmfao

[SageModeAustin]

Try pretending your the author, or the person he's writing about. This helps me understand their point of view of which they're coming from and the rest of the data falls into their perspective, thus making more sense. 

[B_Naz]

Break it down and take notes.

Breaking it down could include finding definitions of certain words, or writing down a quote/piece of information and on the side of that, writing down what you think it means. Contemplation is needed.

My favourite way to take notes is the classic The Cornell Method

[kieranperez]

Practice practice practice 

[Juan Cruz Giusto]

8 hours ago, kieranperez said:

Practice practice practice 

Indeed! That is the point of difficult books. Remember that these philosophers spent their entire lives developing these ideas. Do you think you are going to grasp them with only one read?

Enjoy the process of reading difficult books. They are worth the effort. With time, you will get better.

[John Iverson]

Take your time ? Are you in a hurry? even It takes a year just for the next chapter it is okay and worth it.. your mind cannot hold non physical stuffs, you must break your mind just to fill that whole stuffs whatever is in there ??