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...the unexamined life is not worth living. —PLATO, The Apology The academic turmoil of the early 1970s—which may seem remote today—provided the background for the first edition of The Conscious Reader. As the editors, predisposed to support change, we wanted to create a reader that would reflect a multidisciplinary approach to the teaching of writing and would recognize cultural diversity. For the former, we included selections to represent a wide range of academic disciplines and interests from psychology to biology and computer science. For the latter, we chose authors who represent the spectrum of American ethnic cultures and the contributions of minorities and women. We also wanted to stress our belief in the rational mind in an era in which university faculties were often inclined to measure relevance by spontaneous response. Unhappy with such a superficial concept of relevance, we compiled a book intended to make readers think, to go beyond reading unconsciously. It occurred to one of us that we could reinforce our belief by giving the book the name it has since held for over thirty years. Today the academic world calls our objective “critical reading” but we have never regretted being a little ahead of our time. Still believing that the development of writing skills depends on the heightening of consciousness, the editors of The Conscious Reader invite students to examine and to respond to the basic questions that writers since Plato have posed. The selections included engage our interests by their style and by their focus on issues of universal concern. They reflect the continuity between past and present, serve as a catalyst to self-expression, sharpen our perceptions, and widen our sympathies. Consciousness heightened through reading develops effective writing, and the act of writing fosters self-definition. As we extend awareness by reading, we become increasingly conscious of the reservoir of memories and experiences from which to draw and the variety of forms and techniques that give shape to our writing. Over two-thirds of the readings in this book are nonfiction prose, primarily exposition or argument. Some of the essays are personal and readily comprehensible and provide models for early writing assignments. Others, more complex, should help students develop the ability to reason abstractly. Although most of the authors included are accomplished literary stylists, others are primarily distinguished for their contributions to popular culture, science, philosophy, or psychology. We have also included eighteen stories, forty-one poems, and two dramatic pieces. The inclusion of imaginative literature in a composition course needs no special justification. It serves several important goals: to enhance the pleasure of reading, to educate the emotions as well as the mind, to stimulate original creative efforts, and to provide vicarious experience with which to test the ideas expressed in essays. The dramatic situations, vivid character portrayals, and verbal compression of fiction and poetry also suggest techniques to enliven student writing. We are convinced now more than ever that the most stimulating as well as most economical means of helping students to develop conceptual literacy is to expose them to literate essays and imaginative literature, both of which will arrest their interest and challenge their thinking. Including selections by women, minority, and Third World writers adds to the bookís versatility and its capacity to engage the reader deeply. This book opens with a section on Art and Composition. This edition considerably expands the selection of paintings and photographs because we believe that visual art can communicate and inspire not only emotions but ideas. Each selection begins with a headnote with information about the author and ends with suggestions for discussion and writing to help students explore multiple levels of understanding. The suggestions invite students to pay careful attention to thought and structure and to compare their experience with the vision of life expressed in the selections. Exploring cultural patterns both similar and alien to oneís own should encourage a continuing dialectic in classroom discussion as well as in writing. The thematic groupings represent a convenient division of the book. The readings begin with the search for self and move to consideration of the self in relation to others—parents, friends, and lovers. The next sections focus on culture, including discussions of both popular culture and art and society. The following sections explore the many facets of the world of science and technology. Freedom and Human Dignity is the next section, with readings pertaining to mankindís aspirations and failures to ensure these rights for all. The book concludes with the examined life and personal values, and the entries begin with meditations on problems of education and human concerns before returning full cycle to the individualís search for meaning and value. If there is a dominant theme in these readings, it is that neither understanding of the past nor projections of the future can eliminate conflict from our lives and that opposing forces in the self and society are a part of the human condition. Indeed, it is vital that these forces contend. For it is primarily through conscious recognition and expression of these conflicting forces that we may find our way to a tolerance of ambiguity and to an increased freedom of choice.
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