"Why bother committing to memory what can be looked up in 2 seconds" ~ Einstein
Well, that's the way I remember it but as I have forgotten where I read it, this is what I got right now as I searched:
"Never memorize something you can look up"
The words, the one way or the other, of the rascal, Albert Einstein. I must say I have always been an ardent believer in this. Even as a young boy in lower primary school, I detested and somehow looked with trepidation at my father's request of me to recount what the story of a novel I read was or was about. I tended to sum up works in nutshells a la Aesop's Fables (my all-time favorite book) and also tended to take my own thing from works i.e. what was actually not presented in the material.
Before I came into contact with these words by Einstein, I said these words similarly over and over again at various places viz. "why should I remember this when it's in the book" and then I'd scoff.
I have come to find that, through self-reflection and research in biographies and psychology texts, that such an attitude is one of the artist/inventor. They have no business memorizing anything, only discovering and constantly extending the bounds of the 'discovered'.
Recently, I read an article where one of the Google heads spoke about the internet dumbing us down since we could look up anything at the click of a button. That article was referring to the lack of, and bemoaning this lack, deep thinking involved in learning today. I am always one to 'deep think' so it doesn't refer to me. But, I will take my own spin on it and put it in my own context: that of memory.
I tend to keep my memory in my pocket. As a young boy, I'd argue well but because I'd forgotten my references, I couldn't prove my words when they weren't just clever guesses; you've had glimpses here, unintentional too. Nowadays, Hallelujah!!! The Internet allows me to just "put ya keywords in here" and shazam!!! that's my reference right there, my case is buttressed, busta, ha!!! I had been feeling guilty about my failing memory because of this, was even scared I'd one day forget my own name like Einstein did (allegedly) before the metioned article came along, so I decided to put in an experiment, a psychological experiment, and see. Well, well, well, the results have been telling as I expected (I didn't want to change though cos having 'flights of ideas' is so fantastic an experience) and my concentration has improved, my comprehension has improved, my patience in general has improved, my irritability too has reduced. These are the preliminary results as the experiment is on-going (I know you want to know the details of the experiment, I'll tell ya later), hit you back on it later.
This article is just a criticism of the position mentioned at the beginning and a minor exposition on 'Learning' and 'Memory' in Psychology. The position, though, can be seen more benignly as when not carried to extreme extents, it serves well for the wandering mind, the creative mind. There is a goodly amount of truth in that statement and all its variations.
Hope you enjoyed the article, my friend.
Well, that's the way I remember it but as I have forgotten where I read it, this is what I got right now as I searched:
"Never memorize something you can look up"
The words, the one way or the other, of the rascal, Albert Einstein. I must say I have always been an ardent believer in this. Even as a young boy in lower primary school, I detested and somehow looked with trepidation at my father's request of me to recount what the story of a novel I read was or was about. I tended to sum up works in nutshells a la Aesop's Fables (my all-time favorite book) and also tended to take my own thing from works i.e. what was actually not presented in the material.
Before I came into contact with these words by Einstein, I said these words similarly over and over again at various places viz. "why should I remember this when it's in the book" and then I'd scoff.
I have come to find that, through self-reflection and research in biographies and psychology texts, that such an attitude is one of the artist/inventor. They have no business memorizing anything, only discovering and constantly extending the bounds of the 'discovered'.
Recently, I read an article where one of the Google heads spoke about the internet dumbing us down since we could look up anything at the click of a button. That article was referring to the lack of, and bemoaning this lack, deep thinking involved in learning today. I am always one to 'deep think' so it doesn't refer to me. But, I will take my own spin on it and put it in my own context: that of memory.
I tend to keep my memory in my pocket. As a young boy, I'd argue well but because I'd forgotten my references, I couldn't prove my words when they weren't just clever guesses; you've had glimpses here, unintentional too. Nowadays, Hallelujah!!! The Internet allows me to just "put ya keywords in here" and shazam!!! that's my reference right there, my case is buttressed, busta, ha!!! I had been feeling guilty about my failing memory because of this, was even scared I'd one day forget my own name like Einstein did (allegedly) before the metioned article came along, so I decided to put in an experiment, a psychological experiment, and see. Well, well, well, the results have been telling as I expected (I didn't want to change though cos having 'flights of ideas' is so fantastic an experience) and my concentration has improved, my comprehension has improved, my patience in general has improved, my irritability too has reduced. These are the preliminary results as the experiment is on-going (I know you want to know the details of the experiment, I'll tell ya later), hit you back on it later.
This article is just a criticism of the position mentioned at the beginning and a minor exposition on 'Learning' and 'Memory' in Psychology. The position, though, can be seen more benignly as when not carried to extreme extents, it serves well for the wandering mind, the creative mind. There is a goodly amount of truth in that statement and all its variations.
Hope you enjoyed the article, my friend.
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