Functional illiteracy and the role of culture: a neuroscientific perspective

A recent ANSA press release reports neuroscientific research showing that passionate readers develop certain brain areas more than non-readers. This finding, once dismissed as obvious, gains urgency amid rising functional illiteracy and misuse of AI. The article argues that reading, writing, and arithmetic are essential for understanding the world and that cultural consumption—museums, libraries, films, theater, dance, concerts—is not mere entertainment but a way to engage with what distinguishes humans. Four recommendations are offered: cultivate literacy as cognitive warm-up; be conscious of what one reads, writes, and views, developing critical action; actively produce culture (writing, playing, dancing, painting) for personal and collective benefit; and understand why cultural products exist—why libraries stay open, why research is done, why exhibitions are mounted. The article questions the purpose of specific shows (Futurism in Rome, Munch in 2025) and the real meaning of Saramago's 'Blindness'. It calls for a shift from routine administration to a broader vision, asking whether cultural policies truly foster awareness or merely treat audiences as clients. The author, Stefano Monti, is a partner at Monti&Taft involved in management and economic consulting for culture.