Internet Causes Amnesia?
William James:
Our memory is always used in the service of some interest; we remember things which we care for or which are associated with things we care for. When we wish to fix a new thing our conscious effort should not be so much to impress and retain it as to connect it with something already there. The connecting is thinking. I would say that the art of remembering is the art of thinking.
The human brain is a very powerful and adaptive system. A curious example of the brain’s ability to adapt is our bad visual memory. As you all know it is quite difficult to hold a mental picture in mind of what you have just seen. The reason for that is simple, it is not necessary for the brain to memorize the image while you can actually see that image with your eyes. In a sense, the brain uses sight as the external memory, so it adapted to not spend effort on memorizing what it is seeing.
Student:
Professor, may I ask a question?
William James:
Certainly.
Student:
Are you saying that the fact that we can see things all the time frees the brain from necessity to remember the scene around us?
William James:
Pretty much so.
Student:
Professor, what if someone has a magic vision, so he is able to see any information that he needs. Will it cause his brain to stop remembering things completely?
William James:
I don’t understand. How could that be possible?
Student:
Just as a thought experiment, professor. Any moment he needs any information he can just see it. What the weather is in Boson at this moment, what year his wife’s nephew was born, what the distance from the earth to the moon is, where the nearest coffee shop is located, what thirteen times seventeen is, what professor William James said on his lecture yesterday. Just - everything.
William James:
What an absurd idea. How about his interests?
Student:
Same thing. He can immediately see anything that he is interested in and anything in the world that is related to his interests.
William James:
OK, I don’t think it has any practical sense, but I hope this individual never loses his magic sight; otherwise, one day he might not remember who he actually is.
July 25th, 2007 at 8:28 am
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August 4th, 2007 at 12:18 am
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