第1章

translatedbyJ。I。Beare1

WEhave,inthenextplace,totreatofMemoryandRemembering,consideringitsnature,itscause,andthepartofthesoultowhichthisexperience,aswellasthatofRecollecting,belongs。Forthepersonswhopossessaretentivememoryarenotidenticalwiththosewhoexcelinpowerofrecollection;indeed,asarule,slowpeoplehaveagoodmemory,whereasthosewhoarequick—wittedandcleverarebetteratrecollecting。

Wemustfirstformatrueconceptionoftheseobjectsofmemory,apointonwhichmistakesareoftenmade。Nowtorememberthefutureisnotpossible,butthisisanobjectofopinionorexpectation(andindeedtheremightbeactuallyascienceofexpectation,likethatofdivination,inwhichsomebelieve);noristherememoryofthepresent,butonlysense—perception。Forbythelatterweknownotthefuture,northepast,butthepresentonly。Butmemoryrelatestothepast。Noonewouldsaythatheremembersthepresent,whenitispresent,e。g。agivenwhiteobjectatthemomentwhenheseesit;

norwouldonesaythatheremembersanobjectofscientificcontemplationatthemomentwhenheisactuallycontemplatingit,andhasitfullbeforehismind;—oftheformerhewouldsayonlythatheperceivesit,ofthelatteronlythatheknowsit。Butwhenonehasscientificknowledge,orperception,apartfromtheactualizationsofthefacultyconcerned,hethus’remembers’(thattheanglesofatrianglearetogetherequaltotworightangles);astotheformer,thathelearnedit,orthoughtitoutforhimself,astothelatter,thatheheard,orsaw,it,orhadsomesuchsensibleexperienceofit。Forwheneveroneexercisesthefacultyofremembering,hemustsaywithinhimself,’Iformerlyheard(orotherwiseperceived)this,’or’Iformerlyhadthisthought’。

Memoryis,therefore,neitherPerceptionnorConception,butastateoraffectionofoneofthese,conditionedbylapseoftime。Asalreadyobserved,thereisnosuchthingasmemoryofthepresentwhilepresent,forthepresentisobjectonlyofperception,andthefuture,ofexpectation,buttheobjectofmemoryisthepast。Allmemory,therefore,impliesatimeelapsed;consequentlyonlythoseanimalswhichperceivetimeremember,andtheorganwherebytheyperceivetimeisalsothatwherebytheyremember。

Thesubjectof’presentation’hasbeenalreadyconsideredinourworkOntheSoul。Withoutapresentationintellectualactivityisimpossible。Forthereisinsuchactivityanincidentalaffectionidenticalwithonealsoincidentalingeometricaldemonstrations。

Forinthelattercase,thoughwedonotforthepurposeoftheproofmakeanyuseofthefactthatthequantityinthetriangle(forexample,whichwehavedrawn)isdeterminate,weneverthelessdrawitdeterminateinquantity。Solikewisewhenoneexertstheintellect(e。g。onthesubjectoffirstprinciples),althoughtheobjectmaynotbequantitative,oneenvisagesitasquantitative,thoughhethinksitinabstractionfromquantity;while,ontheotherhand,iftheobjectoftheintellectisessentiallyoftheclassofthingsthatarequantitative,butindeterminate,oneenvisagesitasifithaddeterminatequantity,thoughsubsequently,inthinkingit,heabstractsfromitsdeterminateness。Whywecannotexercisetheintellectonanyobjectabsolutelyapartfromthecontinuous,orapplyiteventonon—temporalthingsunlessinconnexionwithtime,isanotherquestion。Now,onemustcognizemagnitudeandmotionbymeansofthesamefacultybywhichonecognizestime(i。e。bythatwhichisalsothefacultyofmemory),andthepresentation(involvedinsuchcognition)isanaffectionofthesensuscommunis;whencethisfollows,viz。thatthecognitionoftheseobjects(magnitude,motiontime)iseffectedbythe(saidsensuscommunis,i。e。the)primaryfacultyofperception。Accordingly,memory(notmerelyofsensible,but)evenofintellectualobjectsinvolvesapresentation:hencewemayconcludethatitbelongstothefacultyofintelligenceonlyincidentally,whiledirectlyandessentiallyitbelongstotheprimaryfacultyofsense—perception。

Hencenotonlyhumanbeingsandthebeingswhichpossessopinionorintelligence,butalsocertainotheranimals,possessmemory。Ifmemorywereafunctionof(pure)intellect,itwouldnothavebeenasitisanattributeofmanyoftheloweranimals,butprobably,inthatcase,nomortalbeingswouldhavehadmemory;since,evenasthecasestands,itisnotanattributeofthemall,justbecauseallhavenotthefacultyofperceivingtime。Wheneveroneactuallyremembershavingseenorheard,orlearned,something,heincludesinthisact(aswehavealreadyobserved)theconsciousnessof’formerly’;andthedistinctionof’former’and’latter’isadistinctionintime。

Accordinglyifasked,ofwhichamongthepartsofthesoulmemoryisafunction,wereply:manifestlyofthatparttowhich’presentation’appertains;andallobjectscapableofbeingpresented(viz。aistheta)areimmediatelyandproperlyobjectsofmemory,whilethose(viz。noeta)whichnecessarilyinvolve(butonlyinvolve)presentationareobjectsofmemoryincidentally。

Onemightaskhowitispossiblethatthoughtheaffection(thepresentation)aloneispresent,andthe(related)factabsent,thelatter—thatwhichisnotpresent—isremembered。(Thequestionarises),becauseitisclearthatwemustconceivethatwhichisgeneratedthroughsense—perceptioninthesentientsoul,andinthepartofthebodywhichisitsseat—viz。thataffectionthestatewhereofwecallmemory—tobesomesuchthingasapicture。Theprocessofmovement(sensorystimulation)involvedtheactofperceptionstampsin,asitwere,asortofimpressionofthepercept,justaspersonsdowhomakeanimpressionwithaseal。Thisexplainswhy,inthosewhoarestronglymovedowingtopassion,ortimeoflife,nomnemonicimpressionisformed;justasnoimpressionwouldbeformedifthemovementofthesealweretoimpingeonrunningwater;whilethereareothersinwhom,owingtothereceivingsurfacebeingfrayed,ashappensto(thestuccoon)old(chamber)walls,orowingtothehardnessofthereceivingsurface,therequisiteimpressionisnotimplantedatall。Hencebothveryyoungandveryoldpersonsaredefectiveinmemory;theyareinastateofflux,theformerbecauseoftheirgrowth,thelatter,owingtotheirdecay。Inlikemanner,also,boththosewhoaretooquickandthosewhoaretooslowhavebadmemories。Theformeraretoosoft,thelattertoohard(inthetextureoftheirreceivingorgans),sothatinthecaseoftheformerthepresentedimage(thoughimprinted)doesnotremaininthesoul,whileonthelatteritisnotimprintedatall。

Butthen,ifthistrulydescribeswhathappensinthegenesisofmemory,(thequestionstatedabovearises:)whenoneremembers,isitthisimpressedaffectionthatheremembers,orisittheobjectivethingfromwhichthiswasderived?Iftheformer,itwouldfollowthatweremembernothingwhichisabsent;ifthelatter,howisitpossiblethat,thoughperceivingdirectlyonlytheimpression,werememberthatabsentthingwhichwedonotperceive?Grantedthatthereisinussomethinglikeanimpressionorpicture,whyshouldtheperceptionofthemereimpressionbememoryofsomethingelse,insteadofbeingrelatedtothisimpressionalone?Forwhenoneactuallyremembers,thisimpressioniswhathecontemplates,andthisiswhatheperceives。Howthendoesherememberwhatisnotpresent?Onemightaswellsupposeitpossiblealsotoseeorhearthatwhichisnotpresent。Inreply,wesuggestthatthisverythingisquiteconceivable,nay,actuallyoccursinexperience。Apicturepaintedonapanelisatonceapictureandalikeness:thatis,whileoneandthesame,itisbothofthese,althoughthe’being’ofbothisnotthesame,andonemaycontemplateiteitherasapicture,orasalikeness。Justinthesamewaywehavetoconceivethatthemnemonicpresentationwithinusissomethingwhichbyitselfismerelyanobjectofcontemplation,while,in—relationtosomethingelse,itisalsoapresentationofthatotherthing。Insofarasitisregardedinitself,itisonlyanobjectofcontemplation,orapresentation;

butwhenconsideredasrelativetosomethingelse,e。g。asitslikeness,itisalsoamnemonictoken。Hence,whenevertheresidualsensoryprocessimpliedbyitisactualizedinconsciousness,ifthesoulperceivesthisinsofarasitissomethingabsolute,itappearstooccurasamerethoughtorpresentation;butifthesoulperceivesitquarelatedtosomethingelse,then,—justaswhenonecontemplatesthepaintinginthepictureasbeingalikeness,andwithouthaving(atthemoment)seentheactualKoriskos,contemplatesitasalikenessofKoriskos,andinthatcasetheexperienceinvolvedinthiscontemplationofit(asrelative)isdifferentfromwhatonehaswhenhecontemplatesitsimplyasapaintedfigure—(sointhecaseofmemorywehavetheanalogousdifferencefor),oftheobjectsinthesoul,theone(theunrelatedobject)presentsitselfsimplyasathought,buttheother(therelatedobject)justbecause,asinthepainting,itisalikeness,presentsitselfasamnemonictoken。

Wecannowunderstandwhyitisthatsometimes,whenwehavesuchprocesses,basedonsomeformeractofperception,occurringinthesoul,wedonotknowwhetherthisreallyimpliesourhavinghadperceptionscorrespondingtothem,andwedoubtwhetherthecaseisorisnotoneofmemory。Butoccasionallyithappensthat(whilethusdoubting)wegetasuddenideaandrecollectthatweheardorsawsomethingformerly。This(occurrenceofthe’suddenidea’)happenswhenever,fromcontemplatingamentalobjectasabsolute,onechangeshispointofview,andregardsitasrelativetosomethingelse。

Theopposite(sc。tothecaseofthosewhoatfirstdonotrecognizetheirphantasmsasmnemonic)alsooccurs,ashappenedinthecasesofAntipheronofOreusandotherssufferingfrommentalderangement;

fortheywereaccustomedtospeakoftheirmerephantasmsasfactsoftheirpastexperience,andasifrememberingthem。Thistakesplacewheneveronecontemplateswhatisnotalikenessasifitwerealikeness。

Mnemonicexercisesaimatpreservingone’smemoryofsomethingbyrepeatedlyremindinghimofit;whichimpliesnothingelse(onthelearner’spart)thanthefrequentcontemplationofsomething(viz。the’mnemonic’,whateveritmaybe)asalikeness,andnotasoutofrelation。

Asregardsthequestion,therefore,whatmemoryorrememberingis,ithasnowbeenshownthatitisthestateofapresentation,relatedasalikenesstothatofwhichitisapresentation;andastothequestionofwhichofthefacultieswithinusmemoryisafunction,(ithasbeenshown)thatitisafunctionoftheprimaryfacultyofsense—perception,i。e。ofthatfacultywherebyweperceivetime。

2

NextcomesthesubjectofRecollection,indealingwithwhichwemustassumeasfundamentalthetruthselicitedaboveinourintroductorydiscussions。Forrecollectionisnotthe’recovery’or’acquisition’ofmemory;sinceattheinstantwhenoneatfirstlearns(afactofscience)orexperiences(aparticularfactofsense),hedoesnotthereby’recover’amemory,inasmuchasnonehaspreceded,nordoesheacquireoneabinitio。Itisonlyattheinstantwhentheaforesaidstateoraffection(oftheaisthesisorupolepsis)isimplantedinthesoulthatmemoryexists,andthereforememoryisnotitselfimplantedconcurrentlywiththecontinuousimplantationofthe(original)sensoryexperience。

Further:attheveryindividualandconcludinginstantwhenfirst(thesensoryexperienceorscientificknowledge)hasbeencompletelyimplanted,thereisthenalreadyestablishedinthepersonaffectedthe(sensory)affection,orthescientificknowledge(ifoneoughttoapplytheterm’scientificknowledge’tothe(mnemonic)stateoraffection;andindeedonemaywellremember,inthe’incidental’

sense,someofthethings(i。e。takatholou)whichareproperlyobjectsofscientificknowledge);buttoremember,strictlyandproperlyspeaking,isanactivitywhichwillnotbeimmanentuntiltheoriginalexperiencehasundergonelapseoftime。Foroneremembersnowwhatonesaworotherwiseexperiencedformerly;themomentoftheoriginalexperienceandthemomentofthememoryofitareneveridentical。

Again,(evenwhentimehaselapsed,andonecanbesaidreallytohaveacquiredmemory,thisisnotnecessarilyrecollection,forfirstly)itisobviouslypossible,withoutanypresentactofrecollection,torememberasacontinuedconsequenceoftheoriginalperceptionorotherexperience;whereaswhen(afteranintervalofobliviscence)onerecoverssomescientificknowledgewhichhehadbefore,orsomeperception,orsomeotherexperience,thestateofwhichweabovedeclaredtobememory,itisthen,andthenonly,thatthisrecoverymayamounttoarecollectionofanyofthethingsaforesaid。But,(thoughasobservedabove,rememberingdoesnotnecessarilyimplyrecollecting),recollectingalwaysimpliesremembering,andactualizedmemoryfollows(uponthesuccessfulactofrecollecting)。

Butsecondly,eventheassertionthatrecollectionisthereinstatementinconsciousnessofsomethingwhichwastherebeforebuthaddisappearedrequiresqualification。Thisassertionmaybetrue,butitmayalsobefalse;forthesamepersonmaytwicelearn(fromsometeacher),ortwicediscover(i。e。excogitate),thesamefact。

Accordingly,theactofrecollectingought(initsdefinition)tobedistinguishedfromtheseacts;i。e。recollectingmustimplyinthosewhorecollectthepresenceofsomespringoverandabovethatfromwhichtheyoriginallylearn。

Actsofrecollection,astheyoccurinexperience,areduetothefactthatonemovementhasbynatureanotherthatsucceedsitinregularorder。