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The Reading Recession: Are We Making Ourselves Less Intelligent? (James Marriott)

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Apr 9, 2026

Guest

James Marriott

James Marriott, Times columnist and author of The New Dark Ages, explores how reading shaped democracy and why its decline matters. He discusses falling leisure reading and comprehension. He links screens, short-form media and algorithms to changing attention and civic life. He suggests cultural and personal steps to revive deep reading.

58:16

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INSIGHT

Screens May Reverse The Flynn Effect

Global IQ scores rose through the 20th century (Flynn effect) and have recently fallen, possibly linked to screens.
Marriott cites a Norwegian natural experiment where cable TV rollout correlated regionally with IQ declines as reading fell.

insights

INSIGHT

Smartphones Replaced Print As Dominant Medium

The dominant media form shifted from print to the smartphone, especially short-form video like TikTok.
Marriott notes streaming video everywhere has replaced reading-on-the-go and accelerated superficial, fragmented consumption.

insights

INSIGHT

Postman Predicted Television's Democratic Damage

Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death predicted TV would erode print-based democratic debate by favouring personality and spectacle.
Marriott argues Postman's thesis proved correct and was accelerated by smartphones.

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James Marriott's thesis: reading underpins democracy

00:39 • 4min

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Evidence of reading's collapse and falling comprehension

04:37 • 5min

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Screens, TV and falling IQ scores

09:10 • 2min

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Short-form video and the smartphone as dominant medium

11:28 • 4min

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Neil Postman: amusement versus print culture

15:47 • 2min

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History: the reading revolution and mass literacy

18:00 • 3min

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Orality versus literacy: how writing changed thought

20:35 • 4min

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Literacy as enfranchisement and social mobility

24:16 • 4min

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How reading exposed rulers and fueled revolution

28:21 • 4min

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Why smartphones hollow civic life and reality

32:11 • 6min

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AI, algorithms and a manufactured unreality

37:43 • 7min

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Can we resist tech? Personal steps and policy hints

44:26 • 4min

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Reviving reading habits and cultural strategies

48:51 • 6min

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What makes a good podcast and book plug

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

The world until yesterday

Efrén del Valle Peñamil

Jared DIAMOND

In 'The World Until Yesterday,' Jared Diamond examines traditional societies around the world, particularly those in New Guinea, to understand how they address universal human problems such as child rearing, elder care, conflict resolution, and physical fitness. The book is part anthropology and part personal memoir, using Diamond's extensive field experience to provide insights into how these societies functioned and what lessons they can offer to modern Western societies. Diamond avoids romanticizing these societies and instead presents a balanced view of their practices, highlighting both their virtues and defects. The book also discusses broader themes such as the shift from hunter-gatherer to modern societies and the importance of learning from diverse human experiments in society.

#4225

• Mentioned in 12 episodes

Orality and Literacy

The Technologizing of the Word

Walter Ong

Walter Ong's "Orality and Literacy" explores the profound influence of oral and written communication on thought and culture. Ong argues that the shift from oral to literate cultures fundamentally reshaped human consciousness, impacting memory, perception, and the very structure of thought. He contrasts the characteristics of oral cultures, emphasizing their communal nature and reliance on memory, with the individualistic and analytical tendencies fostered by literacy. The book examines how different modes of communication shape our understanding of the world and ourselves. Ong's work has had a lasting impact on fields such as rhetoric, anthropology, and media studies, influencing scholars like Marshall McLuhan. His insights continue to be relevant in understanding the impact of new technologies on human cognition and social interaction.

#14328

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

The New Dark Age

James Bridle

#2962

• Mentioned in 17 episodes

The image

Daniel J. Boorstin

Daniel J. Boorstin's "The Image" is a seminal work in media studies, exploring the impact of mass media on shaping public perception and the erosion of the distinction between reality and its representation. Boorstin argues that the proliferation of images and pseudo-events leads to a decline in genuine experience and critical thinking. The book examines how media representations influence our understanding of history, politics, and culture, often substituting fabricated narratives for authentic events. Boorstin's analysis remains relevant in the age of digital media, where the line between reality and its representation continues to blur. His work serves as a cautionary tale about the potential for media to manipulate and distort our understanding of the world.

#6801

• Mentioned in 8 episodes

The intellectual life of the British working classes

Jonathan Rose

Jonathan Rose's "The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes" is a groundbreaking work of social history that explores the surprising extent of literacy and intellectual engagement among working-class people in Britain. Rose challenges traditional assumptions about working-class culture, revealing a rich and vibrant intellectual life that often went unnoticed by historians. The book examines the various ways in which working-class people accessed and engaged with literature, ideas, and knowledge, highlighting the importance of self-education, community learning, and the role of institutions like libraries and workingmen's clubs. Rose's work offers a compelling counter-narrative to the often-negative stereotypes associated with working-class culture, demonstrating the intellectual vitality and resilience of ordinary people.

#4086

• Mentioned in 13 episodes

The Rights of Man

Thomas Paine

#12796

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

The uses of literacy

Richard Hoggart

#133

• Mentioned in 153 episodes

Amusing Ourselves to Death

Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business

Neil Postman

In this book, Neil Postman argues that the contemporary world is more akin to Aldous Huxley's 'Brave New World' than George Orwell's '1984'. Postman contends that television's emphasis on entertainment has led to a decline in rational discourse and the trivialization of politics, education, and religion. He contrasts the print-based culture of the 19th century with the televisual culture of the 20th century, highlighting how the medium of television inherently promotes incoherence and triviality, turning serious information into a form of entertainment.

#3029

• Mentioned in 16 episodes

Imagined Communities

Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism

Benedict Anderson

In 'Imagined Communities,' Benedict Anderson examines the historical rise and development of nationalism. He argues that nations are not ancient communities but rather modern constructs, imagined by their members as a shared, limited, and sovereign community. Anderson traces the emergence of nationalism to the Americas in the 18th and 19th centuries, where creole elites and the spread of print capitalism played crucial roles. He also discusses how nationalism filled the void left by the decline of religious communities and how it was shaped by factors such as mass vernacular literacy, the abolition of divine right monarchies, and the standardization of national calendars, clocks, and languages. The book is influential in social sciences and has been widely cited and translated into more than thirty languages.

This week, the columnist and writer James Marriott argues that reading is essential to the rise and fall of liberal democracy. He proposes that reading helps the spread of information, encourages critical thinking, and forces people to structure their ideas logically.

But he’s concerned the shift from deep reading to digital skim-reading - driven largely by screens - is weakening our ability to think in complex, reflective ways. He suggests the decline has political consequences - that a less literate, more screen-dependent public may be more vulnerable to misinformation and less capable of meaningful democratic participation.

GET IN TOUCH * WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480 * Email: radical@bbc.co.uk Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday. Your Radical Questions is released every Monday. Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4, and he’s the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and the editor of The Independent newspaper.

Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers and Rufus Gray with Anna Budd, Cordelia Hemming and Oscar Pearson. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by Johnny Hall. The editor is Sam Bonham.

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