0 saved
14K views
This hack was used to deliver long speeches from memory in ancient Greece, was referenced in the fictional tales of Sherlo ...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Is es profecto tu. Aeque enim contingit omnibus fidibus, ut incontentae sint. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Venit enim mihi Platonis in mentem, quem accepimus primum hic disputare solitum; Respondent extrema primis, media utrisque, omnia omnibus. Age nunc isti doceant, vel tu potius quis enim ista melius? Audeo dicere, inquit. Portenta haec esse dicit, neque ea ratione ullo modo posse vivi; Similiter sensus, cum accessit ad naturam, tuetur illam quidem, sed etiam se tuetur; Vestri haec verecundius, illi fortasse constantius. Sed quot homines, tot sententiae; Istam voluptatem, inquit, Epicurus ignorat? Facillimum id quidem est, inquam.
Ita relinquet duas, de quibus etiam atque etiam consideret. Quae hic rei publicae vulnera inponebat, eadem ille sanabat. Nullis enim partitionibus, nullis definitionibus utuntur ipsique dicunt ea se modo probare, quibus natura tacita adsentiatur. Eademne, quae restincta siti? Sed venio ad inconstantiae crimen, ne saepius dicas me aberrare; Cuius ad naturam apta ratio vera illa et summa lex a philosophis dicitur. Itaque si aut requietem natura non quaereret aut eam posset alia quadam ratione consequi. Quod quidem iam fit etiam in Academia.
Estne, quaeso, inquam, sitienti in bibendo voluptas? Ergo id est convenienter naturae vivere, a natura discedere. Neque solum ea communia, verum etiam paria esse dixerunt. Id enim volumus, id contendimus, ut officii fructus sit ipsum officium. Quasi ego id curem, quid ille aiat aut neget. Nunc de hominis summo bono quaeritur;
- Identify a familiar place and key locations in it.
Use a familiar place with m ...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Hinc ceteri particulas arripere conati suam quisque videro voluit afferre sententiam. Nosti, credo, illud: Nemo pius est, qui pietatem-; Illud quaero, quid ei, qui in voluptate summum bonum ponat, consentaneum sit dicere. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Si longus, levis; De quibus etsi a Chrysippo maxime est elaboratum, tamen a Zenone minus multo quam ab antiquis;
Sed plane dicit quod intellegit. Ut non sine causa ex iis memoriae ducta sit disciplina. Iam illud quale tandem est, bona praeterita non effluere sapienti, mala meminisse non oportere? Quid est, quod ab ea absolvi et perfici debeat? Si verbum sequimur, primum longius verbum praepositum quam bonum. Non dolere, inquam, istud quam vim habeat postea videro; Nam his libris eum malo quam reliquo ornatu villae delectari.
Quem Tiberina descensio festo illo die tanto gaudio affecit, quanto L. Quonam, inquit, modo? Mihi quidem Homerus huius modi quiddam vidisse videatur in iis, quae de Sirenum cantibus finxerit. Sed haec quidem liberius ab eo dicuntur et saepius. Si enim ita est, vide ne facinus facias, cum mori suadeas. Nam aliquando posse recte fieri dicunt nulla expectata nec quaesita voluptate. An potest, inquit ille, quicquam esse suavius quam nihil dolere? Oratio me istius philosophi non offendit; A quibus propter discendi cupiditatem videmus ultimas terras esse peragratas. Tenesne igitur, inquam, Hieronymus Rhodius quid dicat esse summum bonum, quo putet omnia referri oportere?
The Method of Loci definitely works as a memory hack to remember specific lists or sets of information as the technique has been repeatedly born out in numerous studies. Along with Spaced Retrieval, the Method of Loci is considered to be highly evidence-based approach. One of its limitations then is, 'so what?'
Do you really need to remember an order of a pack of playing cards or the numbers in pi to the nth degree? Sure, that’s all useful if you want to compete in Memory Championships, but how transferable is it beyond that? Need to remember a grocery list? Why not write it down or capture it on your phone? The point is, in today's digital world, one might argue that there is less need to simply remember lists of information.
Beyond that, another limitation is that the Method of Loci is the effort it involves and the limited transferability it offers when it is not being specifically and deliberately applied. So yes, memory champions can quickly memorise a pack of cards if they invest the effort into it, but will still forget to buy the milk or misplace their car keys as this is not a broader cognitive fix.
Remembering Moby Dick.
This Vox reporter who admits to having a terrible memory applied the Memory Palace to memorise an entire chapter of Moby Dick.
s
According to stories, the origins of the Method of Loci can be traced back to a truly disastrous party in ancient Greece. The legend tells of Simonides of Ceos, a poet, attending a banquet around 500 BC. Simonides left the banquet, stepping outside to meet someone, only to see the building collapse behind him killing everyone inside. The remains of the dead were unidentifiable, but Simonides was able to remember who had attended the banquet by remembering where they were sitting in the hall.
The story goes on to say that Simonides translated this experience into the Method of Loci, realising that he didn’t just have to place the guests around the banquet hall but could replace them with lines of his poetry, or every Greek dramatist seated in order of birth, or anything. The memory hack caught on and was commonly used by ancient Greek and Roman orators to memorise and deliver long speeches without requiring notes. The concept and associated techniques were later captured in the textbook Rhetorica ad Herennium, which has been attributed to Cicero.
The approach fell out of vogue with the development of the printing press and the rise of alternative ways to capture and recall information. Indeed, historians such as Robert Darnton have pointed out that before the printing press reading was an intense activity — with limited books often read and reread and a greater need to memorise the contents because of the limited availability of such treasured texts. However, with the proliferation of books, reading expanded to be more of an ‘extensive’ experience, using them as ongoing references.
In terms of the research behind the approach, the study exploring the impact of mnemonic and Method of Loci training at Rabound University can be found here. This additional study showed that most people with superior memory do not have structural differences in their brain, but instead use spatial forms of memory.
My Notes
Oops, That’s Members’ Only!
Fortunately, it only costs US$5/month to Join ModelThinkers and access everything so that you can rapidly discover, learn, and apply the world’s most powerful ideas.
ModelThinkers membership at a glance:
“Yeah, we hate pop ups too. But we wanted to let you know that, with ModelThinkers, we’re making it easier for you to adapt, innovate and create value. We hope you’ll join us and the growing community of ModelThinkers today.”
You Might Also Like:
- Actionable summaries of the world's most powerful ideas.
Subscribe now and download this practical guide to transform your thinking, plus recieve one short, powerful and actionable idea in your inbox each month.