In our meeting with Dr. Bih-Jaw, Lin, he tailored the topic from Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van’s classic “How to Read a Book.” Published in 1940, the book is highly acclaimed by readers from different fields.
Within the discussion of the book, Dr. Lin suggested the practice of liberal arts curriculum is indispensable for a holistic education. Dr. Lin made a metaphor on primary education as “river,” high school education as “lake,” higher education as “sea.” With layers of continuing learning, students will eventually gain into a cross-disciplinary mindset that is found extremely useful when encountering complex problems.
During the gathering, some participants asked Dr. Lin on how to read a research paper thoroughly. Dr. Lin suggested that forming a studying group in which disappointments viewpoints are welcome to discuss, is a good way to improve critical thinking skill among group members. In the millennials’ generation, “listen and take notes without forming your own perspectives” is no longer the symbol of a well-behaved reader/learner.
*Dr. Bih-Jaw, Lin is the 33th Secretary-General to the President, he served as one of core cabinet members and chief of staff to President Ing-Wen, Tsai. Before his tenure as the Secretary-General, Dr. Lin was the deputy Secretary-General of the National Security Council (Taiwan).
