on memory and reminiscence-第2章

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for　they　were　accustomed　to　speak　of　their　mere　phantasms　as　facts



of　their　past　experience；　and　as　if　remembering　them。　This　takes　place



whenever　one　contemplates　what　is　not　a　likeness　as　if　it　were　a



likeness。



　　Mnemonic　exercises　aim　at　preserving　one's　memory　of　something　by



repeatedly　reminding　him　of　it；　which　implies　nothing　else　（on　the



learner's　part）　than　the　frequent　contemplation　of　something　（viz。　the



'mnemonic'；　whatever　it　may　be）　as　a　likeness；　and　not　as　out　of



relation。



　　As　regards　the　question；　therefore；　what　memory　or　remembering　is；



it　has　now　been　shown　that　it　is　the　state　of　a　presentation；



related　as　a　likeness　to　that　of　which　it　is　a　presentation；　and　as　to



the　question　of　which　of　the　faculties　within　us　memory　is　a　function；



（it　has　been　shown）　that　it　is　a　function　of　the　primary　faculty　of



sense…perception；　i。e。　of　that　faculty　whereby　we　perceive　time。







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　　Next　comes　the　subject　of　Recollection；　in　dealing　with　which　we



must　assume　as　fundamental　the　truths　elicited　above　in　our



introductory　discussions。　For　recollection　is　not　the　'recovery'　or



'acquisition'　of　memory；　since　at　the　instant　when　one　at　first　learns



（a　fact　of　science）　or　experiences　（a　particular　fact　of　sense）；　he



does　not　thereby　'recover'　a　memory；　inasmuch　as　none　has　preceded；



nor　does　he　acquire　one　ab　initio。　It　is　only　at　the　instant　when



the　aforesaid　state　or　affection　（of　the　aisthesis　or　upolepsis）　is



implanted　in　the　soul　that　memory　exists；　and　therefore　memory　is



not　itself　implanted　concurrently　with　the　continuous　implantation



of　the　（original）　sensory　experience。



　　Further：　at　the　very　individual　and　concluding　instant　when　first



（the　sensory　experience　or　scientific　knowledge）　has　been　completely



implanted；　there　is　then　already　established　in　the　person　affected



the　（sensory）　affection；　or　the　scientific　knowledge　（if　one　ought



to　apply　the　term　'scientific　knowledge'　to　the　（mnemonic）　state　or



affection；　and　indeed　one　may　well　remember；　in　the　'incidental'



sense；　some　of　the　things　（i。e。　ta　katholou）　which　are　properly



objects　of　scientific　knowledge）；　but　to　remember；　strictly　and



properly　speaking；　is　an　activity　which　will　not　be　immanent　until　the



original　experience　has　undergone　lapse　of　time。　For　one　remembers　now



what　one　saw　or　otherwise　experienced　formerly；　the　moment　of　the



original　experience　and　the　moment　of　the　memory　of　it　are　never



identical。



　　Again；　（even　when　time　has　elapsed；　and　one　can　be　said　really　to



have　acquired　memory；　this　is　not　necessarily　recollection；　for



firstly）　it　is　obviously　possible；　without　any　present　act　of



recollection；　to　remember　as　a　continued　consequence　of　the　original



perception　or　other　experience；　whereas　when　（after　an　interval　of



obliviscence）　one　recovers　some　scientific　knowledge　which　he　had



before；　or　some　perception；　or　some　other　experience；　the　state　of



which　we　above　declared　to　be　memory；　it　is　then；　and　then　only；



that　this　recovery　may　amount　to　a　recollection　of　any　of　the　things



aforesaid。　But；　（though　as　observed　above；　remembering　does　not



necessarily　imply　recollecting）；　recollecting　always　implies



remembering；　and　actualized　memory　follows　（upon　the　successful　act　of



recollecting）。



　　But　secondly；　even　the　assertion　that　recollection　is　the



reinstatement　in　consciousness　of　something　which　was　there　before　but



had　disappeared　requires　qualification。　This　assertion　may　be　true；



but　it　may　also　be　false；　for　the　same　person　may　twice　learn　（from



some　teacher）；　or　twice　discover　（i。e。　excogitate）；　the　same　fact。



Accordingly；　the　act　of　recollecting　ought　（in　its　definition）　to　be



distinguished　from　these　acts；　i。e。　recollecting　must　imply　in　those



who　recollect　the　presence　of　some　spring　over　and　above　that　from



which　they　originally　learn。



　　Acts　of　recollection；　as　they　occur　in　experience；　are　due　to　the



fact　that　one　movement　has　by　nature　another　that　succeeds　it　in



regular　order。



　　If　this　order　be　necessary；　whenever　a　subject　experiences　the



former　of　two　movements　thus　connected；　it　will　（invariably）



experience　the　latter；　if；　however；　the　order　be　not　necessary；　but



customary；　only　in　the　majority　of　cases　will　the　subject　experience



the　latter　of　the　two　movements。　But　it　is　a　fact　that　there　are



some　movements；　by　a　single　experience　of　which　persons　take　the



impress　of　custom　more　deeply　than　they　do　by　experiencing　others　many



times；　hence　upon　seeing　some　things　but　once　we　remember　them



better　than　others　which　we　may　have　been　frequently。



　　Whenever　therefore；　we　are　recollecting；　we　are　experiencing　certain



of　the　antecedent　movements　until　finally　we　experience　the　one



after　which　customarily　comes　that　which　we　seek。　This　explains　why　we



hunt　up　the　series　（of　kineseis）　having　started　in　thought　either　from



a　present　intuition　or　some　other；　and　from　something　either



similar；　or　contrary；　to　what　we　seek；　or　else　from　that　which　is



contiguous　with　it。　Such　is　the　empirical　ground　of　the　process　of



recollection；　for　the　mnemonic　movements　involved　in　these



starting…points　are　in　some　cases　identical；　in　others；　again；



simultaneous；　with　those　of　the　idea　we　seek；　while　in　others　they



comprise　a　portion　of　them；　so　that　the　remnant　which　one



experienced　after　that　portion　（and　which　still　requires　to　be　excited



in　memory）　is　comparatively　small。



　　Thus；　then；　it　is　that　persons　seek　to　recollect；　and　thus；　too；



it　is　that　they　recollect　even　without　the　effort　of　seeking　to　do　so；



viz。　when　the　movement　implied　in　recollection　has　supervened　on



some　other　which　is　its　condition。　For；　as　a　rule；　it　is　when



antecedent　movements　of　the　classes　here　described　have　first　been



excited；　that　the　particular　movement　implied　in　recollection　follows。



We　need　not　examine　a　series　of　which　the　beginning　and　end　lie　far



apart；　in　order　to　see　how　（by　recollection）　we　remember；　one　in　which



they　lie　near　one　another　will　serve　equally　well。　For　it　is　clear



that　the　method　is　in　each　case　the　same；　that　is；　one　hunts　up　the



objective　series；　without　any　previous　search　or　previous



recollection。　For　（there　is；　besides　the　natural　order；　viz。　the　order



of　the　pralmata；　or　events　of　the　primary　experience；　also　a　customary



order；　and）　by　the　effect　of　custom　the　mnemonic　movements　tend　to



succeed　one　another　in　a　certain　order。　Accordingly；　therefore；　when



one　wishes　to　recollect；　this　is　what　he　will　do：　he　will　try　to



obtain　a　beginning　of　movement　whose　sequel　shall　be　the　movement



which　he　desires　to　reawaken。　This　explains　why　attempts　at



recollection　succeed　soonest　and　best　when　they　start　from　a　beginning



（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；　（