How to read practical books?

Words & Phrases

1. Cut across : be contrary to ordinary procedure or limitations 与。。。相抵触

2. Envisage : form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case.

3. Imperative &. Declarative

    Imperative: an imperative verb is one that expresses an order, such as "stand up "

    Declarative: a declarative sentence has the form of a statement

4. Discern :  to notice or understand something by thinking about it carefully

You must ask questions when you read, and specifically that you must ask four particular questions of whatever you are reading.

The two kinds of Practical books

Practical books can never solve the practical problems with which it is concerned. It can only be solved by action itself.

The reader itself must add something to the book to make it applicable in prectice.

Practical books contain rules and principles that underlie the rules

Two groups of Practical books

1. Presentations of rules

2. Concerns the principles that generate rules

In judging a theoretical book, the reader must observe the identity of, or the discrepancy between, his own basic principles or assumptions and those of the author.

In judging a practical book, everything turns on the ends or goals.

The Role of persuasion

Your ultimate judgement of his work is going to turn on your acceptance of the goal for which he is proposing means, it is up to him to win you to his ends.

What does agreement entail in the case of a practical book?

1. What is the book about?

2. Discover the author's terms, propositions, and arguments.

3.  Whether the author's objectives- that is, the ends he seeks, together with the means he proposes to reach them- accord with your conception of what is right to seek, and of what is the best way of seeking it.

4. Agreement with a practical book, however, does imply action on your part.

感悟 & Summary

从第二部分开始，看的就开始晕乎。作者将说理和解释结合的很好，其中的概念的穿插的说，这就绕晕乎了。本想着将第二节整个看完了，会不会理解的好一点，也就没有急着做笔记，谁曾想，并没有改进。第三章，同样如此，脑海中，没有逻辑线，没有清晰的一二三，好在这次下定决心，不管好坏，也要坚持写，没准写着写着就清楚了。作者提到一点，一本指导性的书籍要在最后落实到行动，方可称之为“有用”，才达到其最终目的。不禁想到，读这么多书，不是为读书而读书，最终不过是为自我思想上的扩充，行为上的有效，人生更为充实而读。所以，不必过于拘泥于完美的理解和呈现，一本好书，坚持细读，从他人的分析上理解，从个人角度去剖析，渐渐明了，未曾不可。

If I keep thinking that I will do better and understand more in the next chapter, I have lost the minute I am holding to read and understand. Not fear that it is indecipherable for you, you only need to follow the author 's instruction and act to ascertain whether it is practical or not.