..reading a book doesn't mean just turning the pages. It means thinking about it, identifying parts that you want to go back to, asking how to place it in a broader context, pursuing the ideas. There's no point in reading a book if you let it pass before your eyes and then forget about it ten minutes later. Reading a book is an intellectual exercise, which stimulates thought, questions, imagination.
In his book "Occupy," Noam Chomsky emphasizes that reading is not simply a mechanical process of moving through text. Instead, it involves active engagement with the material, such as reflecting on themes, revisiting significant sections, and contextualizing the information within a larger framework. This depth of interaction is essential for meaningful comprehension and retention.
Chomsky argues that if readers merely skim through a book without internalizing its content, they lose the opportunity for intellectual growth. Effective reading should stimulate critical thinking, provoke questions, and ignite the imagination. Thus, the act of reading is fundamentally an exercise of the mind, leading to greater understanding and insight.