Thomas Aquinas with only 200 books. That tells us much. Is there a work about the “history” of memorization? My understanding is that in the tales of learning in ancient Greece, for instance, a student was given lecture and expected to memorize first. No one was given list of scrolls to read!
I haven’t found any books that give an entire history of memory, but they usually cover certain periods. For a concise overview I recommend, The Art of Memory by Francis Yates or Excavating the Memory Palace by Seth Long, although it focuses on the history of the method of loci, he covers other techniques from different periods. For the medieval period, anything by Mary Caruthers, for the Renaissance, I recommend Paolo Rossi - The Logic and Art of Memory. There are so many, check out Kimberly Rivers, she discusses the role of memory in academies and monasteries. But if I’d choose one, I’d say Francis Yates
I zeroed in on this, too. It reminds me of Erich Auerbach, a Yale scholar who, early in his career, fled the Nazis and lived in Istanbul for a time. There he wrote 'Mimesis'--which is a landmark literary study--using the German-language books available to him. As you can imagine, in a Turkish library, albeit one in Istanbul, that's not a ton of titles.
I wonder what we lose in an age when so much info is so readily available. We have an ocean of info where we only need a daily rivulet. Perhaps it's no wonder my students often feel lost at sea...
So much has been written already about the very negative effects of too much screen time. In adults it is clear to us who are somewhat aware. We know when we are on “overwhelm.” But the effects on developing children are far worse. I just came off a time of volunteering in a local 2nd grade classroom and the worst case student lived in home where they ALLOWED him to watch TV and phone in his room at night instead of sleep. I don’t have to say what his behavior was like in classroom. This is child abuse!
In a similar way I was practicing banjo, running through tunes at a rapid clip, sorting those I liked from others, until a friend overheard and said I needed to settle on two or three for awhile and just let them marinate -which I did.
Then I saw a video by prolific banjo-er and all-around good guy, Clifton Hicks, who said he could tell rote sight-reading from actual ear-learning (memorization) just by listening to someone play. He said often they play it well, if mechanically so, and better than more experienced players, but it lacks the spirit of someone who has learned it by ear.
I've often quoted poetry to people as encouragement, as a foundation for moral wisdom, or even as philosophy. I find lately I'm often quoting Wordsworth's "Spots of Time" passage from 'The Prelude.'
When we use the word we especially for making nonconversational statements that refllects the blithering and arrogant oblvion Academic who suffers from an almost lethal dose of arrogance and who goes around making erroneoous explanations without a single specific example or any data only to blab away in a fatuous VACUUM.. You say we seem to have become satisfied with keeping texts in databases, but not in our hearts. Speak for your self, pundit. You're stuck in a morass figure out how surpass your numb .......but please dont include me and the milions round the world strugging for the freedom of not having[ my legs blown off because one more leade is a psychopath that the cringin repulsive refuses to roll up their sleeves and OUST. ??????
I apologize, perhaps, I didn’t express myself as clearly as I would have liked to. Please try to see the heart or the intent of what I was trying to say, even though I may have expressed it poorly. I certainly do not mean every single person in the world. But, generally speaking, we are content with only having access to something and knowing where to find a piece of information in an external device like a phone, hard drive, or the cloud. But the practice of memorizing things has declined. The argument is why memorize something when it can externally stored in a database? If I went around and asked, “If I took away the GPS, would you be fine with that?” I haven’t taken an actual survey or collected data, but I assume that most would be inclined to say no. I’m also not saying that using databases or devices is wrong - I use it myself. But what I am saying, is that there is beauty keeping things stored in one’s heart. I’m getting at the “over-reliance” of external databases, and the neglect of keeping things stored within.
Thomas Aquinas with only 200 books. That tells us much. Is there a work about the “history” of memorization? My understanding is that in the tales of learning in ancient Greece, for instance, a student was given lecture and expected to memorize first. No one was given list of scrolls to read!
I haven’t found any books that give an entire history of memory, but they usually cover certain periods. For a concise overview I recommend, The Art of Memory by Francis Yates or Excavating the Memory Palace by Seth Long, although it focuses on the history of the method of loci, he covers other techniques from different periods. For the medieval period, anything by Mary Caruthers, for the Renaissance, I recommend Paolo Rossi - The Logic and Art of Memory. There are so many, check out Kimberly Rivers, she discusses the role of memory in academies and monasteries. But if I’d choose one, I’d say Francis Yates
Thanks! I will look into these.
I zeroed in on this, too. It reminds me of Erich Auerbach, a Yale scholar who, early in his career, fled the Nazis and lived in Istanbul for a time. There he wrote 'Mimesis'--which is a landmark literary study--using the German-language books available to him. As you can imagine, in a Turkish library, albeit one in Istanbul, that's not a ton of titles.
I wonder what we lose in an age when so much info is so readily available. We have an ocean of info where we only need a daily rivulet. Perhaps it's no wonder my students often feel lost at sea...
So much has been written already about the very negative effects of too much screen time. In adults it is clear to us who are somewhat aware. We know when we are on “overwhelm.” But the effects on developing children are far worse. I just came off a time of volunteering in a local 2nd grade classroom and the worst case student lived in home where they ALLOWED him to watch TV and phone in his room at night instead of sleep. I don’t have to say what his behavior was like in classroom. This is child abuse!
In a similar way I was practicing banjo, running through tunes at a rapid clip, sorting those I liked from others, until a friend overheard and said I needed to settle on two or three for awhile and just let them marinate -which I did.
Then I saw a video by prolific banjo-er and all-around good guy, Clifton Hicks, who said he could tell rote sight-reading from actual ear-learning (memorization) just by listening to someone play. He said often they play it well, if mechanically so, and better than more experienced players, but it lacks the spirit of someone who has learned it by ear.
https://youtu.be/Q3D4uS5YQns?si=kKQ-_bHLOa3Nx-Wj
It the same way I think of people who have read a lot, broadly, but who haven’t ear-learned any text too much.
Myself, I memorized a John Donne poem (that one) last year and really immersed myself in the gospel.
Thank you.
I've often quoted poetry to people as encouragement, as a foundation for moral wisdom, or even as philosophy. I find lately I'm often quoting Wordsworth's "Spots of Time" passage from 'The Prelude.'
Good to hear! Yea, we need more poetry readings and recitation.
When we use the word we especially for making nonconversational statements that refllects the blithering and arrogant oblvion Academic who suffers from an almost lethal dose of arrogance and who goes around making erroneoous explanations without a single specific example or any data only to blab away in a fatuous VACUUM.. You say we seem to have become satisfied with keeping texts in databases, but not in our hearts. Speak for your self, pundit. You're stuck in a morass figure out how surpass your numb .......but please dont include me and the milions round the world strugging for the freedom of not having[ my legs blown off because one more leade is a psychopath that the cringin repulsive refuses to roll up their sleeves and OUST. ??????
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Innnnnn
I apologize, perhaps, I didn’t express myself as clearly as I would have liked to. Please try to see the heart or the intent of what I was trying to say, even though I may have expressed it poorly. I certainly do not mean every single person in the world. But, generally speaking, we are content with only having access to something and knowing where to find a piece of information in an external device like a phone, hard drive, or the cloud. But the practice of memorizing things has declined. The argument is why memorize something when it can externally stored in a database? If I went around and asked, “If I took away the GPS, would you be fine with that?” I haven’t taken an actual survey or collected data, but I assume that most would be inclined to say no. I’m also not saying that using databases or devices is wrong - I use it myself. But what I am saying, is that there is beauty keeping things stored in one’s heart. I’m getting at the “over-reliance” of external databases, and the neglect of keeping things stored within.