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. Est igitur officium eius generis, quod nec in bonis ponatur nec in contrariis. Vulgo enim dicitur: Iucundi acti labores, nec male Euripidesconcludam, si potero, Latine; Multoque hoc melius nos veriusque quam Stoici. Atque his de rebus et splendida est eorum et illustris oratio. Callipho ad virtutem nihil adiunxit nisi voluptatem, Diodorus vacuitatem doloris. Quonam, inquit, modo? Cur ipse Pythagoras et Aegyptum lustravit et Persarum magos adiit?
Quod non faceret, si in voluptate summum bonum poneret. Venit ad extremum; Ex eorum enim scriptis et institutis cum omnis doctrina liberalis, omnis historia. Aliud igitur esse censet gaudere, aliud non dolere. Satisne vobis videor pro meo iure in vestris auribus commentatus? Audio equidem philosophi vocem, Epicure, sed quid tibi dicendum sit oblitus es. Universa enim illorum ratione cum tota vestra confligendum puto. Sed quae tandem ista ratio est? Non pugnem cum homine, cur tantum habeat in natura boni; Hoc Hieronymus summum bonum esse dixit. Itaque vides, quo modo loquantur, nova verba fingunt, deserunt usitata.
Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Satisne vobis videor pro meo iure in vestris auribus commentatus? Sit hoc ultimum bonorum, quod nunc a me defenditur; Nunc omni virtuti vitium contrario nomine opponitur. Apparet statim, quae sint officia, quae actiones. Sit sane ista voluptas.
- Identify a familiar place and key locations in it.
Use a familiar place with m ...
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Sin laboramus, quis est, qui alienae modum statuat industriae? Quo plebiscito decreta a senatu est consuli quaestio Cn. Cenasti in vita numquam bene, cum omnia in ista Consumis squilla atque acupensere cum decimano. Quod quidem nobis non saepe contingit. Qui enim existimabit posse se miserum esse beatus non erit. Aufert enim sensus actionemque tollit omnem. Duo Reges: constructio interrete. Hinc ceteri particulas arripere conati suam quisque videro voluit afferre sententiam.
Itaque mihi non satis videmini considerare quod iter sit naturae quaeque progressio. Non laboro, inquit, de nomine. Itaque in rebus minime obscuris non multus est apud eos disserendi labor. Audio equidem philosophi vocem, Epicure, sed quid tibi dicendum sit oblitus es. Res tota, Torquate, non doctorum hominum, velle post mortem epulis celebrari memoriam sui nominis. Eam tum adesse, cum dolor omnis absit;
Omnis enim est natura diligens sui. Bork Dempta enim aeternitate nihilo beatior Iuppiter quam Epicurus; Hic quoque suus est de summoque bono dissentiens dici vere Peripateticus non potest. Mihi vero, inquit, placet agi subtilius et, ut ipse dixisti, pressius.
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.
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.”