Read less, learn more. Teach epistemic humility.

Abstract

Read less, learn more, sounds contradictory. I do not mean students should read less in general. PISA research (OECD, 2023) shows decreasing reading scores in many European countries, and reading literature is not only important for one’s reading competence, it also is fun. What I mean is what psychologist and philosopher William James already wrote in 1890: ¨The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook¨ (James, 1890).