Elements of the philosophy of the human mind / By Dugald Stewart.

  • Dugald Stewart
Date:
1808
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Elements of the philosophy of the human mind / By Dugald Stewart. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    401/514 page 393
    accidental and arbitrary connexions ; and, there- fore, how much foever they may contribute, in the courfe of converfation, to an oftentatious difplay of acquired knowledge, they are, perhaps, of little real fervice to us, when we are ferioufly engaged in the purfuit of truth. I own, too, I am very doubtful with refped to the utility of a great part of that in- formation which they are commonly employed to imprefs on the memory, and on which the gener- ality of learned men are difpofed to value themfelves. It certainly is of no ufe, but in fo far as it is fubfer- vient to the gratification of their vanity ; and the acquifion of it confumes a great deal of time and at- tention, which might have been employed in ex- tending the boundaries of human knowledge. To thofe, however, who are of a different opinion, fuch contrivances as Mr.Orey’s maybe extremely ufeful: and to all men they may be of fervice, in fixing in the memory thofe infulated and uninterefting par- ticulars, which it is either neceffary for them to be acquainted with, from their fituation; or which cuftom has rendered, in the common opinion, effen- tial branches of a liberal education. I would, in particular, recommend this author’s method of re- collecting dates, by fubftituting letters for the nu- meral cyphers; and forming thefe letters into words and the words into verfes. I have found it at leaft in my own cafe, the moft effectual of all fuch con- trivances of which I have had experience. SECTION VIL Continuation of the fame Suhjed:*—Importance of making a proper Seledion among the Objects of our Knowledge in order to derive advantage from the Acquifitions of Memory. THE cultivation of memory, with all the helps B B b
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