Train the Brain: Book Reading and Critical Thinking

Humans express their thoughts with words: the more words we know, the more familiar we are with how words change their meaning in different contexts in accordance with rules of logic, the more complex thoughts we can express. In short, depth and breadth of vocabulary are one of preconditions for critical and analytical thinking: the more words we know, the larger and more complex the world we can think about. What role does book reading play in the acquisition of these skills? Is book reading replaceable? If so, by what?