John Miedema

Can slow reading save the planet from a climate change disaster? It just might. Consider:

Slow reading encourages extended linear thought, and that’s a good thing

One of the main benefits of learning to read on the web is that it encourages non-linear thinking. When you are read on the web, there are a hundred distractions per page: hyperlinks, ads, instant messages, email prompts, and so on. It compels mixing of unlike ideas, and encourages new ways of looking at things. The web also allows for remixing of content so you can easily combine very different ideas into new forms. This is lateral thinking, a step to the side rather than forward. It is non-linear thinking and it is a good thing. Unfortunately, we’re seeing people abandon more traditional, linear ways of reading.

Slow reading creates a different kind of thinker. Slow reading a substantive text to its end, without distraction, allows the reader to recreate in his or her imagination the author’s deepest ideas, as the author intended them. The reader is compelled to be sensitive to subtle patterns as they emerge. The existence of this kind of reader encourages authors to write rich complex material, which in turn creates readers seeking them out. Slow reading creates a capacity for extended linear thought, i.e., the ability to follow complex chains of logic.

The environment is a complex problem. That complexity makes it easy to ignore. Who is willing to take a hit in their daily standard of living? Better, it seems, to leave the problem to governments and scientists. Linear thinkers can see the subtle patterns emerging from their personal lifestyles, and appreciate the long-term chain of events from their actions today. Slow reading is a vital skill in nurturing this way of thinking.

There is a clear relationship between language and thought

In Orwell’s 1984, the government controlled people’s thoughts by limiting their language. Each year the dictionary grew smaller. The existence of the web has increased our vocabulary with many new terms, but there is also a tendency toward dumber language. A Twitter message or a Facebook poke is not the same as a conversation. Reading on the web is not convenient for longer pieces, so blog posts are typically quite short. The more constrained our language becomes, the more limited our thinking will be.

As above, the ability to appreciate the patterns associated with climate change requires increasing sophistication in our thinking. Increasing our word power is not as simple as learning the word of the day. Where do you find extended texts with worthy language? Books, of course. The medium is suited to the task. Slower to read? Yes. Makes you smarter? You bet.

Print is good for the planet

Why kill a tree to make a book? Isn’t that an environmental cost? The use of print has escalated enormously since the introduction of the personal computer into our culture (see for example, The Myth of the Paperless Office by Sellen and Harper). Virtually every computer is hooked to a printer. Seems we still need print to read anything of substance, but the computer is not suited to easy sharing of print. For that, we need books.

The use of trees to make books is not necessarily an environmental cost if managed properly. Trees are a renewable resource. Like the Christmas tree industry, the demand for real trees creates a market incentive for planting them (barring short-sighted thinking) and prevents the build-up of plastics and toxins in the landfill.

A principled reader might decide to reduce paper waste by not printing from his or her computer. But the information technology industry still has a huge environmental impact. Jonathan Schwartz, CEO of Sun Microsystems, observed, “Google’s and Yahoo!’s second largest operating expense – after the people they employ is… electricity. That’s why they’re building datacenters next to smelting plants.”

While it is possible to read slowly on the web, slow reading is facilitated by reading books. It turns out that reading books is also good for our forests.

Related Links:

Eco-Libris. Plant a tree for every book you read.

Eco-Libris blog: Moving Towards Sustainable Reading.

Going Green @ Your Library: Environmentally friendly practices for libraries and beyond!