English

Learning How to Read

An essay by German sociologist Niklas Luhmann on the distinct reading strategies required for different types of texts. Luhmann differentiates between poetic, narrative, and theoretical (wissenschaftliche) texts, focusing primarily on the challenges of reading theoretical works. He addresses the problem of distinguishing essential concepts from the "large mass of not especially significant words" required for sentence construction, noting how translators and beginners struggle with this issue. Luhmann recommends taking condensed notes—reformulations rather than excerpts—that focus on frames, observation schemata, and what is excluded by assertions. He advocates for organizing these notes in a card file or computer system with an index for future access, suggesting this practice trains attention and memory while moving beyond passive reading. Translated by Manfred Kuehn.

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