Team A: Reading fiction is a waste of time
Points
So many people look at things like
• Opportunity cost: Why spend 10hrs on a novel when you can read real skill?
• it’s made up: Why study imaginary people and problems when you can face real ones?
• Passive escapism …
Their punchine: “Life is too short to read about lives that never happened”
VS
Team B: fiction makes you smarter
Points
• it builds empathy: Your ability to understand what other people are thinking and feeling
• it’s a stimulator: Let’s you live 1000 lives and make mistakes without cost, wisdom on fast-forward
• Every non-fiction writer credits fiction: logic gives you answers, fiction gives you better questions.
Their punchline: “Fiction teaches you why people do what they do”
So which team are you on???