> The commenters seem to be arguing that reading is only worth the time if the content has been distilled to its basic facts, and further that that facts need to be immediately actionable. Have we no room for soul? Do we lack the energy to take general concepts and apply them to new areas in new ways?

You are reading too much into it. I (and probably the person you replied to) have nothing against long-form articles, as a matter of fact I prefer them.

On a typical day, I will spend 1-2 hours on a book, I will read many smaller articles here on HN and on Reddit, I will also check out my RSS reader, I will read work-related email, I will do actual work, I will train for my marathon (alternate day running and weights) which takes about 2 hours, spend time with my family, socialize, and hopefully get some sleep too. Its all about how you manage your time, not about distilling long-forms into bite-size chunks.

If given a choice between reading a long-form article online or reading a book, I will read a book.

There is only so much time in a day. There is so much to do. I save long article like this for my lazy or slow days to read.