My November show falls not far from the U.S. holiday of Thanksgiving. It gave me a second to consider what I am grateful for. This episode is informed by appreciation for deep thinking and deep reading.

Author Cal Newport has spoken often about the importance of deep reading and deep learning as human survival tactics. Our ability to think for long stretches about very difficult concepts and then discerning answers is a quality that sets humankind apart for other animals. I pushed myself to read Nelson’s Deep Work, which addresses deep reading and deep learning in the lens of distraction. Newport has long argued that the advent of smartphones has affected our ability to concentrate on information and thus impacted our longterm ability to read and learn. Deep Work is about how to combat this problem.

Derek Thompson is among those to reflect on the matter of reading in this regard. As he notes, the number of high school students who have read a full book, adults who read for pleasure, and people’s cognitive ability to comprehend long-form text are all in steep decline. Young adults are increasingly reliant on chatbots for everything from writing papers to tackling basic life questions. The result is a growing gap in our skills related to retaining information and critical thinking.

While I am not doing this well at all, I am thankful to still have these skills, and to be working on them. I hope these references give you inspiration on your own journey, and that this episode is background to it.

Playlist

Invierno
Juana Molina
EXHALO
Little Butterfly Records

Le synthétiseur
Éliane Radigue
Musique de notre temps (1976-1977)
Transversales Disques

First Story
Walter Prati
Lullabies and Other Stories
Amirani

on stochastic wave behavior: i: ō
Leilehua Lanzilotti, Roomful of Teeth
Leilehua Lanzilotti: forever forward in search of the beautiful
New Focus Recordings

Andersabo, Pt. 3
microtub
Thin Peaks
Thanatosis Produktion

Pilgrim
Scott Walker
Bish Bosch
4AD

My Head
SR&M
Fragments of Life
3023032 Records DK

Amorphic Foothills
Lawrence English, Lea Bertucci
Chthonic
American Dreams Records

Themes I
Rashad Becker
Traditional Music of Notional Species Vol. I
PAN

Shifted in Dreams
Kassel Jaeger
Shifted in Dreams
Shelter Press

Chair
Daniel Blumberg
The Brutalist (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Milan

...and the state sank into abyss
Tashi Dorji
we will be wherever the fires are lit
Drag City

Variance
Pierre Henry
Collector
Universal Music Division Decca Records France

Nights On Saturn - Instrumental
Ahmed Abdul-Malik
Jazz Sounds Of Africa
Fantasy Records

Baited
LEYA
I Forget Everything
NNA Tapes

Vertical Modulation 2
Taku Sugimoto
Since 2016
Full Spectrum Records