on memory and reminiscence-第3章

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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；　（doing　the　latter）　particularly　when　something　else



somehow　deflects　the　mind　from　the　right　direction　and　attracts　it



to　itself。　This　last　consideration　explains　too　how　it　happens　that；



when　we　want　to　remember　a　name；　we　remember　one　somewhat　like　it；



indeed；　but　blunder　in　reference　to　（i。e。　in　pronouncing）　the　one　we



intended。



　　Thus；　then；　recollection　takes　place。



　　But　the　point　of　capital　importance　is　that　（for　the　purpose　of



recollection）　one　should　cognize；　determinately　or　indeterminately；



the　time…relation　（of　that　which　he　wishes　to　recollect）。　There



is；…let　it　be　taken　as　a　fact；…something　by　which　one　distinguishes



a　greater　and　a　smaller　time；　and　it　is　reasonable　to　think　that　one



does　this　in　a　way　analogous　to　that　in　which　one　discerns　（spacial）



magnitudes。　For　it　is　not　by　the　mind's　reaching　out　towards　them；



as　some　say　a　visual　ray　from　the　eye　does　（in　seeing）；　that　one



thinks　of　large　things　at　a　distance　in　space　（for　even　if　they　are



not　there；　one　may　similarly　think　them）；　but　one　does　so　by　a



proportionate　mental　movement。　For　there　are　in　the　mind　the　like



figures　and　movements　（i。e。　'like'　to　those　of　objects　and　events）。



Therefore；　when　one　thinks　the　greater　objects；　in　what　will　his



thinking　those　differ　from　his　thinking　the　smaller？　（In　nothing；）



because　all　the　internal　though　smaller　are　as　it　were　proportional　to



the　external。　Now；　as　we　may　assume　within　a　person　something



proportional　to　the　forms　（of　distant　magnitudes）；　so；　too；　we　may



doubtless　assume　also　something　else　proportional　to　their



distances。　As；　therefore；　if　one　has　（psychically）　the　movement　in　AB；



BE；　he　constructs　in　thought　（i。e。　knows　objectively）　GD；　since　AG　and



GD　bear　equal　ratios　respectively　（to　AB　and　BE）；　（so　he　who



recollects　also　proceeds）。　Why　then　does　he　construct　GD　rather　than



ZH？　Is　it　not　because　as　AG　is　to　AB；　so　is　O　to　I？　These　movements



therefore　（sc。　in　AB；　BE；　and　in　O：I）　he