I love this part: “I will add, that the man who never looks into a newspaper is better informed than he who reads them; inasmuch as he who knows nothing is nearer to truth than he whose mind is filled with falsehoods & errors. He who reads nothing will still learn the great facts, and the details are all false.“
When I read the headlines or scan articles here on HN I’m under the impression that I know things and understand things, but it’s really just surface level.
I like the idea of ignoring news and instead read quarterly long form magazines or books. The really important stuff will bubble to the surface and be examined more intelligently.