The power of unread books for physiotherapists
There can be a palpable anxiety and stress with seeing a bookshelf laden down with books not yet read. I used to feel overwhelmed about that mountain of paper. And that mountain is only bigger now thanks to book subscriptions, gifts, and the online behemoth - amazon. But – I recently unearthed a term that I found powerful and it completely changed my perspective on this phenomenon – the antilibrary.
An antilibrary, a concept introduced by Lebanese American author Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book ‘The Black Swan’ is your private collection of books that you have not yet read. Unread books are a research tool for physiotherapists. Read books are less valuable than unread books…because you have acquired the knowledge, stories, and insights already. Unread books keep you intellectually curious and humble. Of course, there is a time and space to re-read your favourite physiotherapy books, but the ones that you have not read yet – they are priceless gems, and research tools.
Unread books house the concepts, models, and reflections that you may have not encountered or thought about yet. They are a reminder of our ignorance because even if we lived for 100 years, we still would not know everything. It keeps us humble about our own knowledge so as not to prevent us from learning. Learning physiotherapists are thirsty for knowledge. We want to get better, develop, and absorb information that can inform and elevate our practice – cherish the unread book.
The objective of an antilibrary is not to gather a collection of books read to show off and lift your ego. This collection has been curated around themes that you are interested in learning more about. For a learning physiotherapist, these books not yet read are a symbol of all the things you want to know, all the pieces of wisdom and experience not yet taken in, there to read and explore, and outside the profession also for different experiences and cognitive diversity.
A good physiotherapy library should have many unread books – physiotherapy books, sports physiotherapy books, sports medicine books, fiction, biographies, and so forth. Our relationship with the unknown raises the issue Taleb brought to light - the black swan. We tend to overvalue what we know and undervalue what we do not – but curiosity is so important, being surprised, having moments of serendipity even. As Lincoln Steffens once said – “it is our knowledge – the things we are sure of – that makes the world go wrong and keeps us from seeing and learning.”
Do not be scared about what you do not know as a physiotherapist. Learning should be an on-going process over time - rather than a possession. The unread books are part of the on-going learning process for us physiotherapists. The antilibrary is a constant reminder of everything we do not know – yet.
When we are qualified and out working in hospitals, private practice or in sports medicine settings we sometimes overestimate our knowledge capital. We think we know it all sometimes – known as the ‘Dunning-Kruger Effect’. Constantly gazing at your library of unread books will bring you down to earth and give you a taste of humility. There is always something to learn for us as learning physiotherapists. Knowledge is a journey for a physiotherapist. We can learn from others all the time. Remember what Socrates said – “I know one thing: that I know nothing”.
#learnandgiveback
