Are books special? A debate on whether extended reading beats TikTok-style learning

alexisgallagher · x · 2026-11-09

alexisgallagher argues books per se aren't special — what may matter is extended, carefully prepared discussion. He questions whether a first-rate mind could be built from TikTok videos, listicles, or instant ChatGPT tutorial summaries. Quoted RexDouglass adds that in some fields books are actually lower quality and easier to publish than articles, especially the popular ones. A lightweight opinion exchange on media formats and deep learning, with no resolution.

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