Category Archives: memory

History is the Foundation of Sacred Learning

Posted on December 28, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“First you learn history and diligently commit to memory the truth of the deeds that have been performed, reviewing from beginning to end what has been done, when it has been done, where it has been done, and by whom … Continue reading →

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The Necessity of Historians

Posted on October 12, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“Triumphal arches add to the glory of illustrious men only when the writing upon them informs in whose honor they have been reared, and why.  It is the inscription that tells the spectator that the triumphal arch is that of … Continue reading →

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The Stomach of Your Memory

Posted on June 15, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“We ought, therefore, in all that we learn, to gather brief and dependable abstracts to be stored in the little chest of the memory, so that later on, when need arises, we can derive everything else from them.  These one … Continue reading →

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Memory and Reason

Posted on March 18, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“Memory is, as it were, the mind’s treasure chest, a sure and reliable place of safe-deposit for perceptions.  Reason, on its part, is that power of the soul which examines and investigates things that make an impression on the senses or intellect.” … Continue reading →

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All the liberal arts flow from history

Posted on February 16, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“I do not know if our world would suffer less harm without the sun, its soul as it were, than without history, the principle of all civil activities.  Our forebears have often insisted unanimously that the Muses were born from … Continue reading →

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All men by nature desire to know

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“All men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the delight we take in our senses; for even apart from their usefulness they are loved for themselves; and above all others the sense of sight.  For not … Continue reading →

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Books & Memory

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“For although written records are very valuable indeed for other purposes, they are especially valuable for preserving the memory of the past, as they contain the deeds of mankind, the unhoped-for turns of fortune, the unusual works of nature, and … Continue reading →

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The Good Student

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“The good student, then, ought to be humble and docile, free alike from vain cares and from sensual indulgences, diligent and zealous to learn willingly from all, to presume never upon his own knowledge, to shun the authors of perverse … Continue reading →

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Aptitude gathers wisdom, memory preserves it.

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“Those who work at learning must be equipped at the same time with aptitude and with memory, for those two are so closely tied together in every study and discipline that if one of them is lacking, the other alone … Continue reading →

Posted in Hugh of St Victor, medieval, memory | 2 Comments

Memory, identity and history

Posted on January 9, 2012 by Matthew Phillips

“Our memory is the thread of our personal identity; our memory liberates us from what Melanchthon, Luther’s colleague, called perpetual childhood.  Without our past we have no present or future.” Carter Lindberg, The European Reformations, 2nd Ed, p. 2 Lindberg … Continue reading →

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