What is memory? Without memory we lose our sense of identity, reasoning, even our ability to perform simple physical tasks. Yet it is elusive and difficult to define, and throughout the ages philosophers and psychologists have used metaphors as a way of understanding it. This fascinating book takes the reader on a guided tour of these metaphors of memory from ancient times to the present day, exploring the way metaphors often derived from the techniques and instruments developed to store information such as wax tablets, books, photography, computers and even the hologram.
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Editorial Reviews
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"...a tremendously valuable addition for psychologists and other scientists interested in the history of human thought about memory. In fact, it should be considered required reading for students of human memory." Contemporary Psychology, APA Review of Books
"...fascinating, informative, accessible and highly recommended to students of psychology and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the nature of memory and its relationship to the human mind." Wisconsin Bookwatch
"...this is an intellectually sophisticated book, rich in insight and detail." The Economist
"...clear, measured prose and a well-paced narrative flow...Draaisma constructs an elegant serie of arguments concerning the wider social and philosophical imperatives driving scientists and thinkers to view the mind in certain lights....Together Douwe Draaisma and Cambridge University Press have produced a book of high quality. Extensively referenced and illustrated, impeccably rendered from Dutch to English and fully indexed, this work transcends what could be the narrow discipline of the history of psychology...I should point out that it is simply a good book to read!" Leonardo Reviews
"A finely illustrated 'history of ideas about the mind' ...What it does superbly well, but not explicitly, is to tell us why this topic is important to the philosophy of mind and consciousness." The Midwest Book Review
"The book provides needed historical context to many of the current debates within the field of cognitive psychology. The volume wil be of particular interest to students and instructors of cognitive psychology and history of psychology looking for readable supplements." Choice
"...fascinating, informative, accessible and highly recommended to students of psychology and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the nature of memory and its relationship to the human mind." Wisconsin Bookwatch
"...this is an intellectually sophisticated book, rich in insight and detail." The Economist
"...clear, measured prose and a well-paced narrative flow...Draaisma constructs an elegant serie of arguments concerning the wider social and philosophical imperatives driving scientists and thinkers to view the mind in certain lights....Together Douwe Draaisma and Cambridge University Press have produced a book of high quality. Extensively referenced and illustrated, impeccably rendered from Dutch to English and fully indexed, this work transcends what could be the narrow discipline of the history of psychology...I should point out that it is simply a good book to read!" Leonardo Reviews
"A finely illustrated 'history of ideas about the mind' ...What it does superbly well, but not explicitly, is to tell us why this topic is important to the philosophy of mind and consciousness." The Midwest Book Review
"The book provides needed historical context to many of the current debates within the field of cognitive psychology. The volume wil be of particular interest to students and instructors of cognitive psychology and history of psychology looking for readable supplements." Choice
Book Description
What is memory? Without memory we lose our sense of identity, reasoning, even our ability to perform simple physical tasks. Yet it is elusive and difficult to define, and throughout the ages philosophers and psychologists have used metaphors as a way of understanding it. This fascinating book takes the reader on a guided tour of these metaphors of memory from ancient times to the present day, exploring the way metaphors often derived from the techniques and instruments developed to store information such as wax tablets, books, photography, and even computers.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Our memory of memory research,
By Emre Sevinc "Software Developer, Cognitive Sc... (Antwerp, Belgium) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Metaphors of Memory: A History of Ideas about the Mind (Hardcover)
This is a highly accessible account of the history of brain research that focuses on memory and how our views on memory changed throughout the ages as we invented new metaphors while 'forgetting' some old ones. The author tracks the subtle changes in the use of metaphors in describing the nature of memory and he compares the explanatory power of metaphors using beautiful examples. He also touches upon the point of whether using metaphors are really useful in explaining scientific theories and then provides some surprising examples from the writings of Hooke. I owe the author my enlightenment on the topic of Hooke's memory research. I certainly was not aware of some very interesting papers by Robert Hooke in which he tried to describe the functioning of human memory. This example alone is more than enough to show the depth of Douwe Draaisma's research into the history of psychology. But he does not stop there and goes on to provide astonishing parts from that history, especially in the chapters related to the period before and after Hermann Ebbinghaus.While keeping a very strong narrative on the history of memory, Draaisma never forgets to touch upon the psychological and socio-economical dynamics that shape the scientists and the world they live in. The part about the connections between the holographic memory theory and the modern connectionism / neural network theories is worth reading more than once because it is a very good example of science history, a history that is still alive. This book will probably satisfy both the layman and the educated reader, both will learn different things and gain a better perspective on the deep and humane subject of memory.
11 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Informative, accessible, and highly recommended,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Metaphors of Memory: A History of Ideas about the Mind (Hardcover)
Douwe Draaisma is a lecturer in the history of psychology at the University of Groningen. In Metaphors Of Memory: A History Of Ideas About The Mind he explores what memory is, how it is ephemeral, unreliable, and yet essential to everything a person does. Without memory we lose ability to perform simple physical tasks. Memory is elusive to define and from antiquity attempts to discuss or describe it have relied on metaphor. Draaisma provides the reader with a kind of guided tour of these metaphors throughout the ages and presents a compelling, scholarly history of ideas about the mind by exploring the ways these metaphors have been employed. Metaphors Of Memory: is fascinating, informative, accessible, and highly recommended to students of psychology and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in the nature of memory and its relationship to the human mind.
1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting Reading..,
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Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
Whenever I distrust my memory, writes Freud in a note of 1925, I can resort to pen and paper. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
neuronal substratum, compound photography, hologram metaphor, optical neural computer, hologram analogy, photographic metaphors, memory psychology, homunculus problem, physical substratum, computer metaphor, mental physiology, brain metaphor, voluntary memory, vehicle term, phosphorescent materials, artificial memories, wax layer, mathematical prodigies Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Van Heerden, Royal Society, Robert Hooke, Middle Ages, Analytical Engine, Scientific American, William James, Book of Memory, Académie des Sciences, Second World War, Von Neumann, Caspar David Friedrich, Hermann Ebbinghaus, Lady Lovelace, Principles of Psychology, Psychological Review, American Journal of Psychology, Charles Babbage, Early Science, Metaphorical Brain, Applied Optics, Engraving of Descartes, Francis Galton, Journal of Experimental Psychology New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Whenever I distrust my memory, writes Freud in a note of 1925, I can resort to pen and paper. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
neuronal substratum, compound photography, hologram metaphor, optical neural computer, hologram analogy, photographic metaphors, memory psychology, homunculus problem, physical substratum, computer metaphor, mental physiology, brain metaphor, voluntary memory, vehicle term, phosphorescent materials, artificial memories, wax layer, mathematical prodigies Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, Van Heerden, Royal Society, Robert Hooke, Middle Ages, Analytical Engine, Scientific American, William James, Book of Memory, Académie des Sciences, Second World War, Von Neumann, Caspar David Friedrich, Hermann Ebbinghaus, Lady Lovelace, Principles of Psychology, Psychological Review, American Journal of Psychology, Charles Babbage, Early Science, Metaphorical Brain, Applied Optics, Engraving of Descartes, Francis Galton, Journal of Experimental Psychology New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 85
books:
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16
books
cite this book:
See all 16 books citing this book
- The Principles of Psychology, Vol. 1 by William James on 4 pages
- Human Memory: Theory and Practice, Revised Edition by Alan Baddeley in Front Matter, page 164, and page 210
- Metaphors in the History of Psychology (Cambridge Studies in the History of Psychology) by David E. Leary on page 22, page 162, and page 211
- The Interpretation of Dreams by Sigmund Freud on page 7, and page 21
- History of the Royal Society by Thomas Sprat on page 54, and page 66
See all 85 books this book cites
- Projecting a Camera: Language-Games in Film Theory by Edward Branigan in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Sounding Art: Eight Literary Excursions through Electronic Music by Katharine Norman in Back Matter
- Memory and Power in Post-War Europe: Studies in the Presence of the Past by Jan-Werner Müller in Front Matter
- Phantasmagoria: Spirit Visions, Metaphors, and Media into the Twenty-first Century by Marina Warner in Back Matter
- Web and Communication Technologies and Internet-Related Social Issues - HSI 2005: 3rd International Conference on Human-Society@Internet, Tokyo, ... Applications, incl. Internet/Web, and HCI) by Shinji Shimojo on page 334
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