I think reading fiction has merit on its own. It's an active process where you have to fill in all the gaps of an imaginary world. This makes you take a hypothetical situation seriously, even if it is unreasonable at face value (magic doesn't exist, astrophage aren't real). Taking hypothetical situations seriously expands your ability to reason over anything, including abstract things.
Overall I think this readers to become more reasonable people, because life is full of unreasonable things. Things we can't explain, things that seem silly, but we nevertheless have to grapple with them.
Other fiction can fulfill a similar role, but I suspect that books are better at it because they require the reader to put in more effort.
Overall I think this readers to become more reasonable people, because life is full of unreasonable things. Things we can't explain, things that seem silly, but we nevertheless have to grapple with them.
Other fiction can fulfill a similar role, but I suspect that books are better at it because they require the reader to put in more effort.