How NOT to Remember What You Read - Why Memorization Is Useless

A video essay on our learning culture's obsession with memorization and how to read for true understanding.

Other Resources:
My new course on keeping a writer's diary:
Selected Writings:
My Essays:
My playlist on Reading:
My collaborative novel about Melbourne: There's A Tale To This City:

Chapters:
Our Obsession With Memorization: 00:00
1: A Brief History of Memorization: 03:05
2: Understanding Requisite Variety: 05:55
Sponsor: 09:10

[jasminegold]

I was not good at school because I had false ideas about education. Basically, the idea that learning has nothing to do with emotions or spirituality. It was classrooms with boring white walls and tons of memorization techniques. I spent countless dreary hours learning memorization and beating myself up for it not working. In my late teens (I'm actually still in my late teens), I realized that everything I love learning about I put my whole mind and body into it. Learning is not purely bland memorization. It is an experience that involves all of your emotions, imagination, and personal experiences.

[Yesica]

I get what you're saying. You don't want to be the type of person who memorizes a bunch of facts & figures for the test and then forgets them as soon as the test is over. But I'm not sure the problem is memorization, in and of itself. It's more how you're utilizing memorization and what your goals are. But you do need to remember facts/content in order to have something to work with.

[tme]

I have noticed I can't directly recall from memory all the books I've read and the information, however when the topic comes up and my brain connects it then I am able to talk about them with a feeling that my "intuition" is guiding it. I think as we experience books we build our arsenal in the back of our mind, and this shows in our actions when we are faced with situations.

[gilbertvillanos]

Paradise lost is one of the books that completely changed my paradigm because the words gave me perspective in life at a time when I needed it the most

[lauracaruso]

I think memorization and understanding are both valuable. When we memorize, it becomes part of you, and will ripen and bear fruit the older we get and the deeper our understanding grows by living and through experience.

[myrtila]

Thank you SO much for this video. I love reading a lot but when I see that I don’t measure up to the standards of remembering whole phrases of each book, I feel dumb. I shouldn’t be waiting for another person to tell me that but when you’re so full of anxiety and low self esteem, having a person tell you that is liberating.

[Iza]

I love it how you have paradigm shifts in the plural as if that’s normal. I have had many in my life but always had the feeling from others in my life that this was weird in someway.. thanks for this encouraging message!

[nicheantiquity]

Insightful as ever. As a History Major, I find your videos to be quite useful for navigating and understanding this new world I'm entering.

On the topic of enrichment through the humanities Polybius, a Greek writer, spoke about the necessity of gaining experience and practical knowledge to understand history. From my understanding, he says that:

"Thinking you can understand the big picture of world events by reading partial histories is like believing that you can appreciate the energy and beauty of a living body by studying the dissected parts of its corpse."

I think this ties in well to the point of your video. A historian, or anyone in the humanities, can't just study their field. They need to enrich themselves with periphery topics to truly gain understanding of their topic.

Anyway, lovely video, can't wait for your next upload.

[fruitygarlic]

This is exactly the video I needed right now. I just enrolled on a path of study that requires memorising large numbers of quotations from books and plays for the assessment. I am determined to succeed at it for many reasons, but also determined not to ruin my relationship to literature or reinforce my existing insecurities (dyslexia-related). Thank you for this. I know I will return to it a few times before the year is through.

[muhammadbilal]

I should say that this is the most original and useful video on your channel. How you related a concept from cybernetics to philosophy is very intelligent. Hope to see more of these videos.

[yusrafatima]

I suppose along with philosophy, poetry, literature and such subjects, religion should also be added.
taking interests in religions, their holy books and moral values found inside of those books and community can open up various perspectives as well. I'm a Muslim and along with learning about my religion I also get inspired from Buddhism as well.

Thank you, Robin, for taking me through another perspective by your commentary, I hope that mine helps someone too.

[halakpandya]

You have touched such an essential topic. During the teens, one goes about questioning different perspectives and developing a world view of their own. But often times, the latter doesnt happen because they have memorized someone's perspective and pretend as if its their own. The idea of memorization is so deeply rooted in education, that it has become second to nature.

[HazalElise]

such an interesting topic! very much looking forward to this

[aliamandax]

This video is surprisingly what i needed for a paper about how the philosophy of John Dewey influenced the American education system by doing away with the system what Dewey thought was “elitist and undemocratic”. The little part you added about the creation of the classical education system in Florence has sent me down a rabbit hole which will very much benefit my research. Thank you so much!!!

[georgekoboi]

Such a brilliant and essentially needed discussion; thanks forever, for this and all your work! 😊

[adamkimara]

I just found your videos and I've loved them so far. I commented on one of your shorts that requisite variety brought the work of Ashby to mind and lo and behold you mention cybernetics in this one! Love your work!

[tempestandacomputer]

I too have a grievance with pop culture treating exceptional memory as the highest level of intelligence. This was a great video!

[MohaniNiza]

Thanks for your very insightful videos. I am a master's student in world literature and people (my family, mostly) keep asking what I will do with this degree. I tell them I am not in grad school to be specifically trained for a certain vocation, but to have my critical thinking sharpened and my worldview challenged. I agree with you that the humanities make us better humans.

[NWong]

I concur — there are times where memorization is necessary. Physiotherapy was my first degree and anatomy and physiology and neuroscience was very much about regurgitation. I think the problem is the amount we needed to know surpassed our ability to understand and apply it to our discipline and should have been taught at a different pace or through different means such as case studies. Do I remember all the cranial nerves? No but that doesn’t affect my ability to solve clinical problems in my everyday life at this level.

[rodrigoclassicstyle]

Glad i found your channel. Thanks for your help and for teaching us the beauty of reading, that many of us have lost. Cheers!