Assimilative Memory; or, How to Attend and Never Forget

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

25354

Title

Assimilative Memory; or, How to Attend and Never Forget

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A. Loisette's *Assimilative Memory* rejects rote repetition in favor of a physiological and psychological system where memory is a property of every mental act. The book teaches readers to improve their intellect and attention by learning through thinking, establishing habits of observation and analysis that make recall automatic and enduring.

Summary up to 500 words

In *Assimilative Memory; or, How to Attend and Never Forget*, Professor A. Loisette presents a revolutionary system that fundamentally redefines memory training. Loisette argues that memory is not a separate faculty but a concrete property of every mental action. Consequently, improving memory requires improving the manner of thinking and observing. The core principle is "Learn by Thinking," which involves creating strong first impressions and developing the power to revive them through conscious association. The text introduces three fundamental laws of thinking to facilitate this process: Inclusion, Exclusion, and Concurrence. Inclusion involves finding overlapping meanings or shared ideas between words (e.g., "Building" and "Dwelling" both relate to structures). Exclusion deals with antithesis or opposites (e.g., "Riches" and "Poverty"). Concurrence refers to the sequence or co-existence of ideas, whether accidental or causal (e.g., "Columbus" and "America"). Loisette applies these laws to practical exercises, such as memorizing long series of figures, dates, and proper names. He demonstrates how to translate numbers into meaningful phrases based on the subject matter, ensuring that the memory aid is intrinsically linked to the fact being remembered. For instance, the date 1845 is associated with the death of Andrew Jackson (the seventh president) via the phrase "The farewell." The book also provides a detailed method for memorizing the succession of American Presidents and English Sovereigns by associating each name with a unique, memorable word or phrase derived from historical events or personal characteristics. The author emphasizes that true memory improvement leads to better observation, clearer thinking, and sounder reasoning. By cultivating the "Habit of Assimilation," the student eventually internalizes the system so that it is no longer consciously used. The text serves as both a theoretical treatise on the nature of memory and a practical manual filled with specific examples, exercises, and historical data to train the reader's mind.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Psychology
• Mnemonics