ChristianKl comments on Open Thread, May 26 - June 1, 2014 - Less Wrong

4 Post author: BarbaraB 26 May 2014 07:42AM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (245)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: Ben_LandauTaylor 27 May 2014 02:34:32AM 3 points [-]

My experience is that modern speed-reading techniques don't lower comprehension unless you get extremely fast (say, 900-1500 wpm). The exception is the very early stages, so it's good to practice on, e.g., mildly interesting fiction. After a couple of weeks with ~30 minutes of focused practice daily, I was reading at double my previous pace with the same comprehension.

Comment author: ChristianKl 27 May 2014 08:45:00AM 6 points [-]

How do you know that you have the same comprehension?

Comment author: Ben_LandauTaylor 28 May 2014 05:59:24PM 6 points [-]

I frequently give my friends detailed feedback and analysis on their writing. They know about my speed reading thing, and none of them have noticed any change in the quality of my feedback.

Comment author: drethelin 27 May 2014 09:22:04PM 0 points [-]

The feeling of having the same comprehension is 90 percent of what you want anyway, if you haven't had problems with failing eg school assignments.

Comment author: ChristianKl 27 May 2014 09:54:03PM 1 point [-]

The feeling of having the same comprehension is 90 percent of what you want anyway, if you haven't had problems with failing eg school assignments.

I don't think that's the case. I frequently read in order to learn something and not in order to feel like learning something.

Comment author: drethelin 28 May 2014 01:22:22AM 1 point [-]

How regularly do you apply what you learned? Of the last 10 books you've read, have you used something from each of them?

If you're applying what you've learned, and it seems to work, that's how you know you haven't lost comprehension. If you're not applying what you've learned, it doesn't matter that much either way.

Comment author: ChristianKl 28 May 2014 04:40:59AM 0 points [-]

Most of what I read isn't books but internet discussion. It's often hard to distinguish what using an intellectual idea means. I do learn things and bring them up in a separate discussion a year later.

If I reply to your post than I'm using the fact that I read your post to write an answer. Better understanding of your point of view translates into a better answer.