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on memory and reminiscence-第3节

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(of some objective series)。 For; in order of succession; the



mnemonic movements are to one another as the objective facts (from



which they are derived)。 Accordingly; things arranged in a fixed



order; like the successive demonstrations in geometry; are easy to



remember (or recollect) while badly arranged subjects are remembered



with difficulty。



  Recollecting differs also in this respect from relearning; that



one who recollects will be able; somehow; to move; solely by his own



effort; to the term next after the starting…point。 When one cannot



do this of himself; but only by external assistance; he no longer



remembers (i。e。 he has totally forgotten; and therefore of course



cannot recollect)。 It often happens that; though a person cannot



recollect at the moment; yet by seeking he can do so; and discovers



what he seeks。 This he succeeds in doing by setting up many movements;



until finally he excites one of a kind which will have for its



sequel the fact he wishes to recollect。 For remembering (which is



the condicio sine qua non of recollecting) is the existence;



potentially; in the mind of a movement capable of stimulating it to



the desired movement; and this; as has been said; in such a way that



the person should be moved (prompted to recollection) from within



himself; i。e。 in consequence of movements wholly contained within



himself。



  But one must get hold of a starting…point。 This explains why it is



that persons are supposed to recollect sometimes by starting from



mnemonic loci。 The cause is that they pass swiftly in thought from one



point to another; e。g。 from milk to white; from white to mist; and



thence to moist; from which one remembers Autumn (the 'season of



mists'); if this be the season he is trying to recollect。



  It seems true in general that the middle point also among all things



is a good mnemonic starting…point from which to reach any of them。 For



if one does not recollect before; he will do so when he has come to



this; or; if not; nothing can help him; as; e。g。 if one were to have



in mind the numerical series denoted by the symbols A; B; G; D; E;



Z; I; H; O。 For; if he does not remember what he wants at E; then at E



he remembers O; because from E movement in either direction is



possible; to D or to Z。 But; if it is not for one of these that he



is searching; he will remember (what he is searching for) when he



has come to G if he is searching for H or I。 But if (it is) not (for H



or I that he is searching; but for one of the terms that remain); he



will remember by going to A; and so in all cases (in which one



starts from a middle point)。 The cause of one's sometimes recollecting



and sometimes not; though starting from the same point; is; that



from the same starting…point a movement can be made in several



directions; as; for instance; from G to I or to D。 If; then; the



mind has not (when starting from E) moved in an old path (i。e。 one



in which it moved first having the objective experience; and that;



therefore; in which un…'ethized' phusis would have it again move);



it tends to move to the more customary; for (the mind having; by



chance or otherwise; missed moving in the 'old' way) Custom now



assumes the role of Nature。 Hence the rapidity with which we recollect



what we frequently think about。 For as regular sequence of events is



in accordance with nature; so; too; regular sequence is observed in



the actualization of kinesis (in consciousness); and here frequency



tends to produce (the regularity of) nature。 And since in the realm of



nature occurrences take place which are even contrary to nature; or



fortuitous; the same happens a fortiori in the sphere swayed by



custom; since in this sphere natural law is not similarly established。



Hence it is that (from the same starting…point) the mind receives an



impulse to move sometimes in the required direction; and at other



times otherwise; (doing the latter) particularly when something else



somehow deflects the mind from the right direction and attracts it



to itself。 This last consideration explains too how it happens that;



when we want to remember a name; we remember one somewhat like it;



indeed; but blunder in reference to (i。e。 in pronouncing) the one we



intended。



  Thus; then; recollection takes place。



  But the point of capital importance is that (for the purpose of



recollection) one should cognize; determinately or indeterminately;



the time…relation (of that which he wishes to recollect)。 There



is;…let it be taken as a fact;…something by which one distinguishes



a greater and a smaller time; and it is reasonable to think that one



does this in a way analogous to that in which one discerns (spacial)



magnitudes。 For it is not by the mind's reaching out towards them;



as some say a visual ray from the eye does (in seeing); that one



thinks of large things at a distance in space (for even if they are



not there; one may similarly think them); but one does so by a



proportionate mental movement。 For there are in the mind the like



figures and movements (i。e。 'like' to those of objects and events)。



Therefore; when one thinks the greater objects; in what will his



thinking those differ from his thinking the smaller? (In nothing;)



because all the internal though smaller are as it were proportional to



the external。 Now; as we may assume within a person something



proportional to the forms (of distant magnitudes); so; too; we may



doubtless assume also something else proportional to their



distances。 As; therefore; if one has (psychically) the movement in AB;



BE; he constructs in thought (i。e。 knows objectively) GD; since AG and



GD bear equal ratios respectively (to AB and BE); (so he who



recollects also proceeds)。 Why then does he construct GD rather than



ZH? Is it not because as AG is to AB; so is O to I? These movements



therefore (sc。 in AB; BE; and in O:I) he has simultaneously。 But if he



wishes to construct to thought ZH; he has in mind BE in like manner as



before (when constructing GD); but now; instead of (the movements of



the ratio) O:I; he has in mind (those of the ratio K:L; for



K:L::ZA:BA。 (See diagram。)



  When; therefore; the 'movement' corresponding to the object and that



corresponding to its time concur; then one actually remembers。 If



one supposes (himself to move in these different but concurrent



ways) without really doing so; he supposes himself to remember。



  For one may be mistaken; and think that he remembers when he



really does not。 But it is not possible; conversely; that when one



actually remembers he should not suppose himself to remember; but



should remember unconsciously。 For remembering; as we have conceived



it; essentially implies consciousness of itself。 If; however; the



movement corresponding to the objective fact takes place without



that corresponding to the time; or; if the latter takes place



without the former; one does not remember。



  The movement answering to the time is of two kinds。 Sometimes in



remembering a fact one has no determinate time…notion of it; no such



notion as that e。g。 he did something or other on the day before



yesterday; while in other cases he has a determinate notion…of the



time。 Still; even though one does not remember with actual



determination of the time; he genuinely remembers; none the less。



Persons are wont to say that they remember (something); but yet do not



know when (it occurred; as happens) whenever they do not know



determinately the exact length of time implied in the 'when'。



  It has been already stated that those who have a good memory are not



identical with those who are quick at recollecting。 But the act of



recollecting differs from that of remembering; not only



chronologically; but also in this; that many also of the other animals



(as well as man) have memory; but; of all that we are acquainted with;



none; we venture to say; except man; shares in the faculty of



recollection。 The cause of this is that recollection is; as it were



a mode of inference。 For he who endeavours to recollect infers that he



formerly saw; or heard; or had some such experience; and the process



(by which he succeeds in recollecting) is; as it were; a sort of



investigation。 But to investigate in this way belongs naturally to



those animals alone which are also endowed with the faculty of



deliberation; (which proves what was said above); for deliberation



is a form of inference。



  That the affection is corporeal; i。e。 that recollection is a



searching for an 'image' in a corporeal substrate; is proved by the



fact that in some persons; when; despite the most strenuous



application of thought; they have been unable to recollect; it (viz。



the anamnesis = the effort at recollection) excites a feeling of



discomfor

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