The unread library

I have more books in the "to read" folder on my e-reader, than all other folders. Not a library for ornamentation; without being read. A library that you slowly and consistently wade through, inevitably adding more books as you go. This, I feel, is how it should be.

Most people have a library, however large or small, of the books they have already read. I want the opposite. I want an anti-library. A library which serves as a reminder that although you may know a lot, you have really only made a tiny clearing in the jungle. Umberto Eco reportedly has a library containing 30 000 unread books. This is a monument to how much he still wishes to know. Nicolas Taleb argues, I think correctly, that the more knowledgeable one is, the longer your reading list grows. The anti-library also serves as a poignant reminder of the limits of your knowledge and the fundamental inability of humankind to know.

Ideas matter, they are the conscious and unconscious assumptions and beliefs upon which our lives are built. Actions are justified or avoided based on the ideas you have encountered in your lifetime thus far. Many people only read when they are forced to. This is unfortunate since who knows, the next book you read may change your life!
In today's world, locating and buying books has never been easier, so get reading...