Reader’s Corner: Why the book is better

It seems we’re surrounded these days by quick, easily accessible sources of information, as close as our smartphones. While it’s great to have on-the-spot reports about weather and current events, what about deeper topics? Are we getting information a little too quickly, as a politician takes to X or a podcast host releases a “special edition” about what just happened? Or worse, by asking AI-powered sources? 

In a Hillsdale College guest appearance, Dr. Mattias Desmet, a Belgian clinical psychologist and professor at Ghent University, asked his audience, “Are humans asking AI and expecting to receive truth?” In my research for an article on “AI and the Church,” Dr. Jim Bradford, an Assemblies of God pastor who just happens to also be a rocket scientist—really!—made the same point, saying, “AI can be useful, but you must ask it the right questions.” AI chatbots draw from the entire internet landscape, so simply getting what is most popular at the time, rather than actual truthful research, is a real risk. 

Books, on the other hand, take more time to produce. Even books on current issues, if traditionally published, go through an editing and refining process, and even those I don’t agree with seem more thought-out than instantly available information. I appreciate quality movies with stellar acting performances (time for another family “Lord of the Rings” marathon), but nothing beats the interaction of reading the book, finding character development tidbits or descriptive passages the movie didn’t include. Physical writing has brain-development benefits as one makes notes about a book, and so does sharing thought via group discussion. Some parents are realizing this and stepping up to ask for a return to physical textbooks, more class discussion of literature and history, and less screen time for students. 

The internet is obviously not all bad; for those who can’t physically get to a book club or browse the library, Facebook pages and groups can help give a sense of community. I like “Classic Literature” and “Vintage Pages;” I’m now planning to re-read “Eight Cousins” thanks to a recent review and discussion. Other groups focus on contemporary literature or a specific genre. 

In terms of cultivating a love of reading and raising a generally well-educated society, we can benefit from studying our nation’s Founding Fathers, who were voracious readers and prolific writers. And as technology continues to develop, it must be regarded a tool, and as Dr. Desmet cautioned, not a source of truth.